I-40 east near Asheville reopens, offering an evacuation path out of Buncombe County

Interstate 40 east from Ashville reopened on Tuesday morning.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said the highway could be used as a path for evacuation from Asheville. Interstate 26 East, which reopened on Monday, can be used for evacuation as well.

I-40 West, which connects the state with Tennessee, and I-26 West are still closed. No timeline has been announced about when the westbound portion of those highways will be reopened.

Aside from those paths, the Department of Transportation said all western North Carolina roads “should be considered closed to all non-emergency travel.”

Buncombe Sheriff Quentin Miller said Tuesday afternoon that the county has now confirmed 57 deaths from the storm.

NCDOT: Full extent of road damage in Western NC not yet known. Here’s current info