A rockslide will keep Interstate 40 in Western North Carolina closed all week near the state line with Tennessee. The cleanup in the area will last even longer as some but not all lanes of the interstate are expected to re-open once initial work is completed.
The rockslide occurred during sustained rainfall Friday evening at mile post 7.5 according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. That has I-40 closed for a 20-mile stretch from exit 20 in North Carolina (Route 276/Jonathan Creek Road) to the Tennessee state line. According to NCDOT, crews need to stabilize a 500-foot area near Hurricane Creek before any lanes can re-open. Once they do, it will only be one lane in each direction for another six to eight weeks as further work will be done.
NCDOT's preferred detour around the closures is 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 NCDOT.