ASHEVILLE – The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Nov. 5 that traffic may be running in both directions on Interstate 40 through Pigeon River Gorge by New Year’s Day.
Tropical Storm Helene caused the interstate’s eastbound lanes to slip into the Pigeon River “in four long swaths,” according to NCDOT. Now, a contractor is working on a stabilization project to secure the westbound lanes on I-40 in the gorge, which officials anticipate will be completed by the new year, according to the news release.
The stretch of the highway impacted by Helene, going from Waterville on the North Carolina border to Harmon Den Road in Haywood County, supports about 7,610 trucks daily and a total average daily traffic of over 26,000 vehicles, according to NCDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic statistics.
The stabilization project’s completion will allow vehicles to travel at 40 mph on one lane in each direction over a 9-mile stretch of the gorge in Tennessee and North Carolina, while a long-term reconstruction timeline remains up in the air.
“This configuration will also provide another contractor enough room to safely complete long-term repairs over the coming years,” the release said.
What does the stabilization project entail?
NCDOT awarded an $8.5 million contract to Wright Brothers Construction for the stabilization repairs on I-40, according to the release. GeoStabilization International is working as the sub-contractor, building what’s called a “soil-nail wall.”
In what the news release called a “temporary patch,” contract crews are installing soil-nail walls to stabilize “several thousand feet” of I-40. This includes inserting long rods into bedrock below the road, filling those with grout adhering the rods to the rock, and spraying concrete on the cut face to hold the rods in place and create a solid wall.
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Crews will then install a concrete safety barrier on 5 miles of the remaining westbound lanes in North Carolina. The wall will separate eastbound and westbound traffic, starting from the double-tunnel near Mile mMarker 8.5 to the Tennessee state line. There is a two-lane traffic pattern for local traffic for 4 miles of I-40 in Tennessee.
“We are optimistic that our contract partners can complete the work, establish one narrow lane in each direction and create a safe work zone for the long-term restoration,” Wanda Payne, NCDOT’s Division 14 Engineer, said in the release.
“We are working to open I-40 when it is safe, and it will be tight conditions for everybody. But if everybody is patient, everybody can get through.”
NCDOT plans to award a quick-tow contract to support traditional Incident Management Assistance Patrol, “to reduce travel delays associated with crashes,” the release said.
“Opening one lane in both directions reestablishes critical connectivity for the transport of good and services to and through mountains,” Payne said. “Like many things in our area, it will not be like it was for a long time, but it will be better than we’ve had in recent weeks.”
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Even before Helene, the road has experienced multiple rockslides in the past, and NCDOT has tried to make the road safer in the past 10 years.
During Helene, the river rose to nearly 22 feet before the observation gauge below Waterville in Haywood County, quit responding, according to NOAA’s website. About 14 miles down the road, NOAA reported that the river crested at 30 feet.
While NCDOT has hired three different companies to help with the long-term reconstruction of I-40, plans are still in early development.
NCDOT has hired RK&K as a design firm, Ames Construction as the contractor and HNTB as the project manager, according to the release.
There is no timeframe for the selection of a design, a date for start of construction or a general estimate of the cost.
“Everybody has been coming up with ideas and all good solutions are still on the table,” Payne said. “We will collaboratively choose the best long-term solution.”
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. She is a graduate of Indiana University and was the Citizen Times Summer News Reporting Intern in 2022. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
