All I-40 lanes near Tennessee-North Carolina border reopen after 6-month closure

Driving through North Carolina just got a little easier for summer travelers headed to the beach.

After six months of construction and unexpected delays ‒ on top of other periods of construction over the years ‒ all four lanes of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee-North Carolina border will reopen to traffic June 25, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Contract crews for NCDOT have completed a major bridge construction over the Pigeon River, allowing traffic in both directions between U.S. 276 (Exit 20) and mile marker 18.

Though most of the work is complete, crews will operate with occasional nighttime lane closures through the summer to complete paving and median wall construction.

The stretch of I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge had been reduced to one-lane traffic patterns since Nov. 1 because of construction of two bridges in Haywood Country in North Carolina. Construction was supposed to be completed May 20 but was pushed back “due to unforeseen circumstances during construction, coupled with weather delays,” according to an NCDOT statement earlier this month.

I-40 lane closure coming up this fall

Now, more work begins.

Another closure on I-40 in the Gorge will occur in the fall. Crews will be replacing two other bridges, one over Fines Creek Road at Exit 15 and another over the Pigeon River near mile marker 16. Transportation officials remind drivers to plan ahead, drive alert and obey all posted signs in the Pigeon River Gorge.

The closures are part of a five-bridge project that began in late 2022, closing the same stretch on I-40 until spring 2023. The construction method was designed to lower costs and expedite the project, according to NCDOT.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: I-40 lanes in North Carolina gorge reopen to traffic June 2024