Erwin Police Chief Regan Tilson and U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell observing the I-26 bridges that were damaged during Hurricane Helene in Unicoi County, Tennessee. (Photo: Federal Emergency Management Agency)
On Monday, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) reopened to traffic two East Tennessee routes that were severely damaged as a result of Hurricane Helene flooding.
According to TDOT, State Route 350 in Greene County — known locally as Jones Bridge Road — was piled 30 feet high with debris. Chunks
of road were washed away, exposing bare dirt and bent utility poles.
“In just 120 hours, 75 TDOT employees hauled dozens of truckloads of debris from Jones Bridge Road and repaired craters of asphalt displaced by the storm. Their commitment to reconnecting communities is unmatched as they continue to make progress day after day,” said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner
Butch Eley in a statement.
State Route 133 in Johnson County has also been reopened.
In Cocke County, I-40 East is closed at mile marker 440 and I-40 West is closed from the TN/NC state line to MM 447. TDOT has given no timeframe for reopening those sections.
As Hurricane Helene swept inland, portions of upper East Tennessee were catastrophically flooded on Sept. 27-28. So far, 15 people have been reported dead and others remain missing.
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