Key, North Carolina, Tennessee Interstate Bridge Reopens After Helen Damage

Interstate 26, a key intersection for drivers near the North Carolina-Tennessee border, has reopened to the relief of Unicoi County residents.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation reopened the interstate Wednesday after constructing a temporary causeway with single lanes in both directions. I-26 collapsed into the Nolichucky River in September after Hurricane Helen caused floodwaters to inundate interstate bridges in each direction.

Interstate 40, another key interstate border crossing, remains closed due to the road collapse.

Before I-26 reopened, motorists passing through the area would bypass Erwin, a town of about 6,000 people, sometimes doubling commute times for local residents. Overweight vehicles and vehicles wider than 10 feet are prohibited from using the causeway and must still pass the road. TDOT said.

The reopening of I-26 “has been a big help,” Jeff Simmons, deacon at Riverview Baptist Church, which is located in view of the collapsed I-26 bridges, told The Center Square. “Sometimes it took 20 minutes to get through town (when) it should have been a 10-minute drive.”

“There was a lot of traffic in this little town, that’s for sure,” he said. Simmons is helping rebuild a church that had to be demolished and lost the back of the building.

TDOT built the temporary dam in just a month, using more than 5,000 tons of asphalt and 33,000 tons of rock.

“It’s about making sure our people in this community and those around us can access the basic needs that they’re trying to meet,” said TDOT Commissioner Butch Ely.

Construction was completed in 33 days, a project that typically took months, Ely said.

Hurricane Helen weakened as it reached the mountains of western North Carolina and Tennessee, but still caused heavy rains and flooding that killed 229 people in seven states and severely damaged infrastructure throughout the region. As of November 1101 people died in North Carolina and 17 in Tennessee.

Lawmakers from several states, including North Carolina and Tennessee, have asked Congress to provide funding for agricultural disaster relief, formerly The Center Square reported.