HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WOKI / WVLT) — Crews rebuilding a washed-out section of Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge are about 15% finished, nearly two years after Hurricane Helene destroyed roughly five miles of roadway.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says the project is expected to cost close to $2 billion, making it the largest infrastructure project in agency history.
Engineers are using an approach known as roller compacted concrete (RCC) to rebuild the embankments that collapsed into the river during the storm. The method relies on locally sourced materials to reduce both cost and construction time.
Rock is blasted from a borrow site in the U.S. National Forest, then crushed and processed on-site into aggregate used for the RCC mixture. Officials say this strategy is saving about 30% compared to hauling material from off-site quarries.
“Because of the remote nature of the project, hauling in rock from local quarries would be extremely expensive and time-consuming,” said NCDOT resident engineer Blake Soblesky.
The original interstate was built on loose aggregate that was easily washed away by floodwaters. The new design uses cement-bonded material to create massive walls—30 feet wide and up to 50 feet tall—engineered to withstand future extreme weather events.
“The intent is to hold up to a similar storm like Helene and last at least 100 years,” Soblesky said.
Much of the work so far has focused on preparation. Crews have constructed a six-mile causeway, installed extensive temporary supports, and removed about one million cubic yards of debris from the river.
Around 300 workers are currently on the project, with that number expected to climb to as many as 600 by mid-summer.
The next phase includes building additional retaining walls, with work set to begin in June.
The entire project is expected to be completed by late fall 2028. In the meantime, drivers traveling through the gorge should expect reduced traffic flow, with one lane open in each direction.
