Interstate 26 traffic is flowing freely for the first time in 11 months after Hurricane Helene ravaged East Tennessee and tore apart a bridge in Unicoi County.
I-26’s twin spans dropped into the Nolichucky River in the historic flooding Sept. 27. Gov. Bill Lee visited the interstate collapse in Erwin shortly after the storm and pledged to rebuild.
“I-26 in Unicoi County is now fully open for the first time since September 27, 2024. The twin bridges in Erwin (near Exit 40/Jackson Love Highway) were destroyed by Hurricane Helene exactly 11 months ago,” Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson Mark Nagi posted on X.
The ramps at Jackson Love Highway are open again as well. The exit is close to the Erwin industrial park where six workers died in the floods.
With the complete reopening of I-26, travel between Tennessee and North Carolina can return to normal, according to North Carolina Department of Transportation spokesperson David Uchiyama.
At a separate border crossing further south, I-40 continues to be restricted to one lane in each diection. That interstate collapsed in the flooding as well.
The I-26 repairs cost millions of dollars. In addition to building new bridges, 58 truckloads of debris had to be hauled away from the site.
Crews were able to open one lane in each direction for local traffic in October, but trucks had to take a long detour.
Myron Thompson reports on public safety for Knox News. Email: myron.thompson@knoxnews.com
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: I-26 fully open in Tennessee for the first time since Hurricane Helene