CLYDE, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation says a rock slide near the Tennessee state line will require Interstate 40 to remain closed for a week.
The rockslide at mile marker 7.5 closed I-40 in both directions on Friday, February 22nd.
The NCDOT says the interstate will remain closed for the safety of contract workers and those who would be driving in the area.
Officials say engineers determined that work is required to stabilize the 500-foot wide area, which is near Hurricane Creek, as debris was still falling Saturday morning while experts surveyed the mountainside.
Traffic will also be limited to one lane in each direction, on the east side of the mountain, for up to eight weeks.
“For everybody’s safety — drivers, workers, contractors — we need to keep the road closed for about a week,” Division 14 Engineer Brian Burch said. “At that point, we anticipate having enough material down the mountain that we can restore one lane of traffic in each direction.”
The NCDOT says drivers need to allow extra travel time, as the detour route utilizes a combination of I-40, I-240, I-26, and I-81 through Asheville and Johnson City.
The distance from Asheville to the I-40/I-81 junction in Tennessee is about 50 miles longer than driving through the Pigeon River Gorge, according to the NCDOT.
