Aerial footage captured by the North Carolina National Guard provides a dramatic look at the scope of catastrophic flooding caused by the effects of Hurricane Helene when the deadly storm swept across the Southeast and mid-Atlantic after making landfall in Florida last week.
Interstate 40 is set to reopen March 1, nearly six months after Hurricane Helene washed out parts of the highway in North Carolina and Tennessee.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced the planned reopening date for the interstate in the Pigeon River Gorge near the Tennessee border Monday.
Once reopened, traffic will be limited to one lane in each direction with a reduced speed limit of 40 mph in some areas, the department said.
The lane and speed restrictions will go a few miles into Tennessee as well, NCDOT said.
Hurricane Helene devastated several states in the Southeast after the storm made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, 2024. The storm caused devastation as far inland as Tennessee.
Portions of I-40 in North Carolina and Tennessee have been closed since flooding and debris from the storm took out chunks of the highway.
A photo taken last week by NCDOT showed the progress on the interstate in the months since the hurricane.
Interstate 40 set to reopen in North Carolina near the Pigeon River Gorge on March 1, nearly 6 months after Hurricane Helene.
(@NCDOT/X)
I-40 is the main artery that connects Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.
Nearly a month after the storm hit, NCDOT reported nearly 7,000 sites where roads and bridges were damaged by Helene.
Since the storm, some parts of the roadway in both states have reopened.