Months of closures expected after ‘historic’ road damage in eastern TN: TDOT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – The Tennessee Department of Transportation says the damage caused to East Tennessee roads by the remains of Helene is “historic.”

Crews assessed damage and checked 310 state-owned bridges in six eastern Tennessee counties. TDOT said the counties most affected are Washington, Carter, Unicoi, Johnson, Greene and Cocke. Nearly 400 TDOT employees from all four regions are assisting with the cleanup, including workers specializing in geotechnical, surveying, bridge inspection, design, project development and field maintenance personnel.

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“On Monday, crews transported 58 loads of trash to the landfill from just one area of ​​I-26 in Unicoi County. The storm caused historic destruction. We anticipate hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and months of closures,” TDOT wrote.

TDOT said five bridges were destroyed, but seven of the state’s 13 originally closed bridges had reopened. Additionally, 47 routes were assessed and crews repaired and reopened 25 routes. TDOT explained that it is prioritizing repairs needed “to ensure people can meet their greatest needs, such as hospitals, food, shelter and water.”

Destroyed bridges:

• Bridge over the Nolichucky River in Washington SR-81

• Bridge over the Nolichucky River in Washington SR-353

• Greene River Bridge SR-107 Nolichucky

• Unicoi Bridge I-26 @ MM 39.6 eastbound

• Unicoi Bridge I-26 @ MM 39.6 westbound

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“To expand efforts and restore our transportation system as safely and quickly as possible, TDOT has already awarded four construction contracts and four debris removal contracts to supplement our crews. These additional assets are already operational in the field. More prizes will be awarded in the coming weeks. Additionally, two alternative delivery announcements are in the works, allowing us to move more quickly to get infrastructure back online for communities that so desperately need it,” TDOT wrote.

On Monday, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said I-40 remained impassable in many locations, while I-26 was closed at the Tennessee state line. The department said Tuesday that travel in western North Carolina should be restricted because travel remains unsafe.

Some Carter Co. communities are “completely cut off”

Additionally, the National Park Service announced that US 441/Newfound Gap Road will reopen by 8 a.m. on Wednesday, October 2. TDOT added that U.S. 129 “The Dragon” between U.S. 411 and the North Carolina state line is subject to existing restrictions for commercial vehicle traffic, which means no trucks with trailers longer than 30 feet or single units longer than exceeding 30 feet.

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