State transportation officials are still advising against any travel in western North Carolina, considering all roads there impassable due to extensive damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
Interstate 40 near the North Carolina-Tennessee border was severely impacted, with the eastbound lanes being washed away by heavy rainfall. The highway is closed in both directions for 43 miles, stretching from Exit 432 (US 25W/US 70/US 411) in Tennessee to Exit 20 (US 276) in North Carolina.
I-26 is also shut down in Tennessee from mile marker 39 to the North Carolina border.
Several U.S. and state highways in western North Carolina are also closed due to storm damage, with many bridges either destroyed or significantly damaged.
Additionally, a large portion of western North Carolina is without cell service and electricity.
Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm late Thursday night in Florida’s panhandle, has resulted in at least 133 fatalities, with destruction spanning from Florida to Virginia.
