For the first time since late September, Interstate 40 reopened on March 1, 2025 to traffic in the Pigeon River Gorge. (Photo: NCDOT)
For NCDOT engineers, road crews and certainly the residents of western North Carolina, Saturday was a day for smiles and celebration. For the first time since late September, Interstate 40 reopened to traffic in the Pigeon River Gorge near the North Carolina-Tennessee state line.
The one-lane stretch extends approximately 12 miles from Exit 7 in North Carolina to Exit 447 in Tennessee. For the time being, drivers are cautioned to expect narrow lanes, a 35 mile per hour speed limit, and a 9-inch by 9-inch concrete curb separating traffic in opposite directions.
That’s far from the interstate speeds motorists enjoyed last summer, but it’s a huge milestone in the recovery process. NCDOT engineers estimate that Helene washed away about three million cubic yards of dirt, rock and material from the side of I-40.
The initial stabilization process involved driving steel rods into the bedrock, filling the rods with grout, applying a metal screen then sprayable concrete to the face of the walls. Crews installed 90,000 square feet of soil-nail walls across the 10 different damage locations, according to a release by the Department of Transportation.
Amid progress, new worries about federal funding
State Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins told legislators last week the biggest challenge remains the scale of the storm with nearly 9,400 individual damage sites including 800 bridges that need attention.
The state’s share of a federal match could cost North Carolina nearly a billion dollars.
“The governor and I did send a letter to the USDOT and others this past Monday, requesting them to fully fund our repairs. I don’t know that we’ll have success with that, but I’ll tell this body that others have had success in the past,” said Hopkins.
Hopkins said his agency has also asked the federal government to accelerate some of the programs that FEMA has in place.
“They have a program where they do expedited reimbursement, where they pay you 50 cents on a dollar. We’ve utilized that here, partially.”
Hopkins said that could enable the state to reach more damage sites sooner.
But North Carolina’s desire to see more federal aid delivered faster comes at a time President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are actively cancelling contracts and firing federal workers.
Representative Maria Cervania (D-Wake) noted this unprecedented approach to governing at the federal level could impact not just western North Carolina’s recovery, but also multi-modal commitments to high-speed rail, and improvements at the state’s airports.
“What is your department doing to prepare if we don’t get comparable level of federal funding along with the fact of western North Carolina, but just our general needs?” asked Cervania. “How do we need to work in partnership to address our future needs in terms of transportation, especially in Wake County, Mecklenburg County, but all rural areas, too?”
Hopkins acknowledged while the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) helped the state advance several projects, things in D.C. are “a little up in the air now.”
The much-celebrated S-line rail project, a billion-dollar investment, between Raleigh and Wake Forest has been put on hold until further notice.
“We’ve got a big grant for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, Alligator River Bridge is another one. Those grants are also on hold,” said Hopkins in detailing how the new administration was reshaping construction projects for NCDOT.
Sec. Hopkins said this week he will travel to D.C. to meet with his counterparts in the U.S. DOT in hopes of getting these projects back on track.
“I don’t know that they will or not, but we’re going to try to make that happen.”
The state has also been appealing to Congressman David Rouzer, chair of the U.S. House Highway Subcommittee for Transportation.
Yet another unknown is whether this month will bring a continuing resolution or a shutdown for the United States government.
“When [the] agencies that we work with aren’t fully funded, then they can’t fully fund the things we need, and so that kind of gets us in fits and starts until we can get things going,” Hopkins acknowledged.
He believes the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) would like to make a larger commitment to North Carolina for Helene recovery, but its budget only runs through March 14th.
“They struggle with that because they can’t guarantee those dollars moving forward,” he said.