Eastbound and westbound passage on Interstate 40 straddling the North Carolina-Tennessee border, restricted since Hurricane Helene ripped through the region in October, will resume this weekend.
The stretch of highway that will now be open is between Exit 7 in North Carolina – Cold Springs Creek Road – and Big Creek Road, Exit 447, in Tennessee.
North Carolina also said only one lane will be open in each direction between exits 15 and 20.
The states had hoped to open limited service on the road in early January; that was delayed because of further deterioration.
According to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Transportation in conjunction with the North Carolina announcement, the Volunteer State’s portion of I-40 had already been open in each direction soon after the hurricane, between mile markers 446 and 451 in that state.
What are normally the westbound lanes will reopen as a two-lane highway, North Carolina said in its release. The state also provided a list of several restrictions on the road.
Among them: Lanes will be narrower than usual, and there will be shoulders that are reduced in size; the speed limit will be 35 mph; there will be a 9-by-9-inch concrete curb separating the two lanes; the eastbound road, which continues to undergo repairs, will have an emergency-only lane; and while a full tractor trailer is able to drive on the highway, no wide loads will be permitted.
Tennessee, in its statement, also noted that none of the exits in the work zone have “easy access” to gas stations or convenience stores.
Full restoration of the highway is still being talked about in terms of years. North Carolina’s statement touted that the state has entered into a Construction Manager/General Contractor contract for the permanent reconstruction of the highway. Ames Construction was identified as the contractor, RK&K is the designer and HNTB is the project manager.
“This type of contract accelerates the timeline and reduces costs by having the contractor and designer work side-by-side as the project progresses,” the state said in its statement.
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