Helene-Damaged Roadway May Reopen by the New Year

What Is Soil Nailing? 

Before you read any further, look closely at the photo above. See the thin, steel bars sticking out of the ground to the right of the construction worker? Those bars are what will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to reopen a section of Interstate 40 between North Carolina and Tennessee by the beginning of next year. 

The bars are the key component of what’s called a soil nail wall. 

Contractors are stabilizing over a mile of I-40 by driving long steel rods (nails) into the bedrock below the road. The rods are spaced close together and filled with grout that adheres the rods to the rock. Concrete is then sprayed on the cliff face to hold the rods in place and create a solid wall. 

In a news release, NCDOT engineers explained the process will stabilize the roadway and provide space for vehicles to travel at 40 mph in one lane in each direction over nine miles of the Pigeon River Gorge. 

The road will be narrow, roughly 11 feet wide, which is about a foot narrower than the interstate standard. That’s why the speed limit will be lower.  

NCDOT hopes the road can be opened by New Year’s Day. However, timing depends on when contractors can finish stabilizing the wall and install a concrete barrier down the middle of the road. 

The project is costing $8.5 million. 

“We are optimistic that our contract partners can complete the work, establish one narrow lane in each direction and create a safe work zone for the long-term restoration,” NCDOT’s Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said. “We are working to open I-40 when it is safe, and it will be tight conditions for everybody. But if everybody is patient, everybody can get through.” 

What happened to I-40? 

Flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Helene turned the Blue Ridge’s Pigeon River into a raging torrent. The storm dumped almost two feet of rain in the area, following several days of precipitation from a previous rain event. Together, the floodwaters from the two storms ate away the roadbed, causing the partial collapse of the highway. The two eastbound lanes were washed away, and a landslide also crashed onto part of the highway. 

This stretch of I-40 in North Carolina handled roughly 26,000 vehicles per day. 

What’s the long-term plan for I-40? 

Despite slower speeds and the potential for long backups, reopening I-40 will help get people and freight through the mountains. It will provide a huge boost to the area’s economy and spirits. 

And to help keep things moving, once I-40 reopens, NCDOT will have tow trucks stationed in the gorge to move cars that might break down or crash in the travel lanes. 

“Opening one lane in both directions reestablishes critical connectivity for the transport of good[s] and services to and through mountains,” Payne said. “Like many things in our area, it will not be like it was for a long time, but it will be better than we’ve had in recent weeks.” 

In addition to opening I-40 sooner, engineers say the soil nail wall plan, which uses the westbound lanes for traffic, will allow another contractor to begin long-term repairs on the washed-out section of the roadway over the coming years. 

NCDOT has not settled on a long-term plan, so there is no date set for the start of construction or what the project might cost. 

“Everybody has been coming up with ideas and all good solutions are still on the table,” Payne said. “We will collaboratively choose the best long-term solution.” 

To find more stories about Hurricane Helene as well as state and federal resources, visit pbsnc.org/hurricane-helene.