TDOT receives funds road repair Helene

The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving $350 million in funding to help make repairs to major interstates in Tennessee and North Carolina that sustained major damage during Hurricane Helene.

As a part of a “quick release” from the Emergency Relief Fund, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is receiving $70 million to repair I-40 and I-26 in East Tennessee.

I-40 partially collapsed in Cocke County and bridges on I-26 collapsed in Unicoi County during the floods in September.

TDOT working to rebuild ‘severely damaged’ areas of I-40 in Cocke County (Photo from Oct. 11)

A look at the I-26 bridges at MM 39.6 in Unicoi County. (Photo from Oct. 5)

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is receiving $250 million for repairs to I-40 near the state line after it also partially collapsed during the flooding.

Impact of Helene on I-40 in western North Carolina (Photo from Sept. 28)

The National Park Service received $25 million to make repairs along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I-40 is open in Tennessee to the North Carolina state line for local traffic only, but it is still closed on the North Carolina side to mile marker 20 in Haywood County. It was originally planned to reopen in January, but another portion of the roadway collapsed into Pigeon River, delaying its reopening.

It is unknown at this time when I-40 will reopen from the state line to Asheville.