From Staff Reports

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently announced that the permanent rebuild of the five-mile stretch of Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge is now expected to cost $2.8 billion and will not be fully restored to four lanes until late 2029.

The updated projections mark a significant increase in both budget and duration, rising from an earlier estimate of $2 billion and a target completion date of late 2028.

Following are the key project updates:

• Geotechnical delays: As crews cleared debris and gained better access to the gorge, geological testing revealed that bedrock is situated more than 50 feet below the surface in some locations. This requires significantly longer steel supports than initially anticipated, inflating both the budget and timeline.

• Resilience focus: Rather than just patching the highway, engineers are designing the interstate to be extremely robust against future extreme weather. Upgrades include heavy-duty concrete and interlocking pile walls to survive future severe flooding and prevent landslide slope failures.

• Phased openings: While the full four-lane configuration won’t be ready until 2029, the NCDOT aims to open three lanes of traffic by 2028.

• Current status: The corridor remains highly congested and operates in a temporary configuration with only one narrow lane open in each direction, no shoulders, and a reduced speed limit.The extensive scale of damage on the North Carolina side explains why it will take longer to complete than the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s section, which is scheduled for completion in fall 2027.