GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it is making progress on reopening state roads that were damaged by flooding from Helene.
TDOT said Friday it reopened both SR 350 in Greene County and SR 133 in Johnson County.
SR 350, also known as Jonas Bridge Road, was covered under 30 feet of debris. TDOT said chunks of the road were missing, revealing bare dirt and bent utility poles.
“In just 120 hours, 75 TDOT employees hauled dozens of truckloads of debris from Jones Bridge Road and repaired craters of asphalt displaced by the storm. Their commitment to reconnecting communities is unmatched as they continue to make progress day after day,” said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley.
TDOT estimated the flooding caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to state infrastructure. Flooding destroyed five bridges.
More than 400 TDOT workers have been out repairing the damage and inspecting roads in impacted areas. Of the 49 state routes that were originally closed, 30 have reopened. TDOT said it has inspected all state-owned bridges over water as well as 35 of the 90 locally-owned bridges needing assessment.
TDOT has been posting updates on the status of closed roads at this link.
The destruction of Interstate 26's twin bridges in Unicoi County was among the most severe impacts from Helene in the state. The interstate is cut off between Tennessee and North Carolina. Crews are currently working to remove debris and replace the parallel bridges, and there is not a solid timeline yet for when that is expected to be complete.
On the other side of the Tennessee state line, Interstate 40 is cut off in North Carolina in the Pigeon River Gorge between Newport and Asheville after a large section of the road was washed away by flooding. NCDOT said earlier this week it could take "months" at a minimum to rebuild that stretch.
With both I-26 and I-40 cut off between Tennessee and North Carolina, drivers are being told to take a very long detour around via I-81 and I-77 in Virginia. NCDOT is heavily discouraging drivers from trying to drive to and from Tennessee via the smaller state routes right now, saying it is still too dangerous to drive across most of the Western North Carolina region because of the extensive damage to roads.