Interstate 40 partially collapses after catastrophic rainfall in North Carolina

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Part of a major highway connecting western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee was submerged during the catastrophic flooding in Helene, and officials were unsure when the highway will reopen.

Photos from the scene showed several lanes of Interstate 40 flooded amid the mountainous terrain and drivers stuck in traffic.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said I-40 was closed in several locations between Asheville and East Tennessee due to flooding and debris.

No one was reportedly injured in the collapse zone, and transportation officials did not have an estimated recovery time frame.

The agency warned motorists that “all roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed.”

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The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused devastating wind gusts and flooding rains for hours across the Tar Heel State on Friday.

Observation sites throughout the western part of the state reported rainfall between one and two feet, leading to flooding of roads and flooding of towns.

In nearby Erwin, Tennessee, floodwaters surrounded a hospital, forcing staff and patients to seek higher ground until they were rescued by helicopters.

At least two deaths were reported in North Carloina on Friday evening, with officials expecting more deaths as investigations continue in the hardest-hit communities.

Precipitation amounts in Helene

(FOX Weather)

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Interstate 40 is a major east-west thoroughfare that runs through eight states from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Barstow, California.

According to Google Maps, the best alternative after the highway closure was to use Interstates 81 and 26, which added an additional 50 miles of travel.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has not yet commented publicly on the resources it might provide to NCDOT officials for repairs to the highway.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he was receiving regular updates from the hardest-hit states.

Google map with alternative routes

(FOX Weather)

“We receive regular updates from government partners about infrastructure damage in Helene and multiple airports impacted by the conditions,” Buttigieg said Friday.

The damage to Interstate 40 appeared to be similar to a landslide that shut down State Highway 22 around Jackson, Wyoming, over the summer.

There was no one on the highway when the highway collapsed, but the detours took nearly three weeks until emergency repairs could be completed.