NORTH CAROLINA — There is another travel headache for drivers in western North Carolina where a rockslide and flooding forced the closure of Interstate 40 at the Tennessee state line once again.
Transportation officials in Tennessee told WLOS that the road is closed at Mile Marker 450 in Cocke County.
Images shared on social media show muddy water covering the roadway, with a tractor-trailer and several other vehicles stopped in place.
Detours are set up in Haywood County, routing drivers up Interstate 26.
“The detours have been a challenge, so I’m trying to figure out which way to go. You don’t know where to go? No, and it’s not real clear either,” said driver Clarence Bowser.
Channel 9’s Dave Faherty started seeing North Carolina Department of Transportation alert signs nearly 100 miles away in Burke County warning drivers to avoid I-40 in western North Carolina.
A heavy rainstorm caused flooding, rockslides, and mudslides on Wednesday.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said a “handful of cars were damaged but there were no injuries.”
In North Carolina, the interstate was shut down on Thursday at Exit 20 in both directions.
Landslides took out portions of the interstate in the Pigeon River Gorge during Helene in September 2024.
“Just shocked to us. We didn’t expect it, like no detours. And we got there, and you can’t go there,” said visitor Sheila Butler.
On March 1, they were able to reopen just one lane in each direction.
The NCDOT suggests motorists take I-26 North into Tennessee.
The DOT there said officials are assessing the damage and hope to provide a time frame on Thursday on reopening, which could be a couple weeks.
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the road is closed at Exit 20, near Lake Junaluska.
Drivers are encouraged to take the following detours:
- All I-40 West traffic must use Exit 20, US 276 (Jonathan Road).
- Use I-40 East to Exit 46B, I-240 East.
- Motorists must continue on I-240 East to Exit 4A, I-26 West.
- Motorist must continue on I-26 West to I-81 S in Tennessee.
- Motorists may use I-81 South to re-access I-40.
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