Hundreds of roads remain closed after Helene; $5 billion needed for repairs
By Marisa Sardonia and Madison Smith
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BUNCOMBE COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Representatives from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) provided updates on the status of transportation infrastructure during a Buncombe County briefing on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
David Uchiyama, NCDOT communications officer, said access has greatly improved across Western North Carolina. More than 1,100 roads have reopened since Helene hit and there are currently less than 270 that remain closed across the entire region.
Uchiyama said that 8,795 locations have been identified as damaged as of last week.
This includes 813 bridges and 852 culverts.
The current general estimate to restore roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure is approximately $5 billion.
Uchiyama also went over the changes in traffic due to ongoing closures.
“I-40, West of Asheville is actually seeing less congestion than normal due to the closure in the Pigeon River Gorge. But East of downtown on 1-240 east, congestion has increased due to the closure of Swannanoa River Road as well as US-70.”
Another contributing factor to an increase in congestion is 18-wheelers taking roads that are not designed for them, saying they need to stick to approved routes.
NCDOT also says the Pigeon River Gorge remains closed and will stay closed until January 1st.
They will then open with one lane in each direction.
These lanes will be open for 18-wheelers, to allow for better industry into the area.
NCDOT Division 13 Engineer Tim Anderson said crews have identified nearly 2,000 damaged locations in Buncombe County.
“Damage severity varies widely from a small site that may take half a day to repair to a major repair like a bridge replacement,” Anderson said.
NCDOT crews have transitioned to stabilizing temporary access for residents in rural Buncombe County communities.
They have identified 90 damaged bridges and 27 that need to be completely replaced.
A bridge they gave specific updates on is US-70 near Exit 55.
“the concrete work is done, says Anderson.
Now we’re working on the backfield. Once the backfield’s complete, then we’ll pave. Our goal is to have Highway 70 back open through that section by the middle of December.”
Anderson also gave an update on Swannanoa River Road. Crews have completed most of the field work between Fairview and Azalea. The next step is paving before moving on to other sections.
NC-9 and NC-197 are also getting ready for paving.
Anderson said that at any given time, approximately 70 to 100 NCDOT employees from across the state are assisting with repairs in the northern part of Buncombe County. DOT employees from Kentucky and Florida have also assisted with recovery.
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