Roads across Western NC starting to reopen after Helene damage

Roads are being rebuilt and bridges resurrected, but motorists are still struggling to traverse Western North Carolina.

That may not be for much longer though, as the state’s transportation department is slowly but surely progressing with recovery efforts.

Tropical Storm Helene’s devastation included more than 600 roads and 800 bridges primarily in the western part of the state. The latest data from the N.C. Department of Transportation shows that 160 roads remain closed — 30 highways and 130 secondary roads.

The task of repairing and reopening North Carolina’s roadways after the severe storm has been a tall order for the transportation department, which maintains more than 80,000 miles of roads. That’s more than any other state except Texas.

Still, repair projects are moving along, and rather quickly considering the wide-ranging damage.

Last week, Gov. Josh Stein highlighted the progress during a press conference in the middle of a closed section of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border. Stein declared the vital thoroughfare would be partially reopened on March 1.

The announcement corresponded with a visit from new U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who came to the area to survey the damage. Duffy’s visit was significant because North Carolina is hoping to secure more federal funds to help pay for storm recovery efforts. Helene was a $60 billion disaster, and so far the money allocated by the state and federal governments to pay for it has amounted to far less than that, Carolina Public Press has reported.

While the power to approve new funding lies primarily with Congress, Duffy has promised to support North Carolina’s reconstruction efforts and cut through “red tape” as transportation secretary.

“It is clear to me that (Duffy) intends to help,” Stein said in a statement after the visit.

One of the most crucial roads still out

The largest of the roads to still be closed is a section of I-40 that was washed away by the rising waters of the Pigeon River.

It’s a portion that stretches from the Tennessee border to exit 20 in Haywood County, near the town of Clyde. After five months of no traffic, one lane on each side of the interstate will reopen on March 1.

“Reopening these lanes will help reconnect North Carolina and Tennessee and allow us to welcome back visitors to bolster the economy,” Stein said.

The section could previously accommodate an average of 26,500 vehicles per day, according to the state transportation department. The department isn’t sure how many cars the two lanes will be able to handle once they are reopened. 

However, alternate routes into Tennessee such as U.S. Route 25 have already been reopened and could ease congestion on that part of the interstate. 

Meanwhile, Duffy revealed during his visit that the U.S. Department of Transportation acquired a special permit that will allow North Carolina to use rock from the Pisgah National Forest and extract construction materials from the nearby Pigeon River to help in the reconstruction process.

Allowing the state to do this, rather than transporting materials from up to 50 miles away, could significantly cut down on time and costs, Duffy said.

Expect delays

While the partial reopening of I-40 marks a major milestone, the storm’s damage extends far beyond that stretch of highway. Across North Carolina, affected roadways remain in various stages of repair with no clear end date in sight.

In total, the state transportation department identified a whopping 9,400 sites damaged by Helene, ranging from small back roads and culverts to larger highways and bridges.

So far, crews and contractors have completed repairs on about a quarter of the damaged bridges. However, 139 bridges still need to be entirely replaced. 

Although crews have completed the emergency repairs needed for residents to access their neighborhoods, the state is still designing plans and awarding contracts for most permanent repairs of roadways.

While the state hopes to have all affected roadways reopened to motorists in the first half of this year, officials are not putting any hard deadlines on reconstruction plans.

“With so many sites, so many roads and so many variables, it’s impossible to hit a precise mark,” said David Uchiyama, a spokesman for the transportation department.

Down the road

While the total bill for Helene recovery is estimated to be $60 billion — with transportation infrastructure repairs comprising about $5 billion — the true cost won’t be realized until potentially years down the road. That’s when all the contracts have been awarded and the reconstruction projects completed.

The transportation department can’t pay for the needed repairs by itself, but isn’t strapped for cash either. A state audit released in January found that the agency significantly underspent during its previous annual budget and should be in a solid position to fund recovery efforts.

However, transportation officials are also asking both the state legislature and the feds to help with expenses.

Since the storm, the Federal Highway Administration has given $412.8 million to North Carolina across six waves of emergency relief funding. That money was used for repair projects including I-40 near the Pigeon River Gorge.

The state legislature approved nearly $1 billion in disaster relief across three spending bills last year.

After taking office, Stein requested more than $1.1 billion in additional relief from the freshly-convened General Assembly. 

A spending bill that was recently filed by House Republicans proposed to allocate half the amount Stein requested.

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