Buttigieg is scheduled to join TDOT officials on Thursday to review how federal agencies are helping rebuild roads and restore infrastructure after the Helen incident.
COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will travel to East Tennessee on Thursday to assess the damage caused by Helen with Tennessee Department of Transportation officials.
USDOT announced that Buttigieg will travel to Tennessee and western North Carolina on Thursday, Oct. 17, to receive an update on federal assistance efforts to repair roads and infrastructure in the hardest-hit areas. did.
Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 remain closed between the two states. Interstate access between Tennessee and North Carolina will be closed for at least several months as officials work to repair severe damage left after floodwaters from the Pigeon and Nolichucky rivers washed away sections of roads. It is expected that
A portion of the Tennessee side of Interstate 40 in Cocke County is scheduled to reopen to local traffic this week, but the section washed out in the Pigeon River Gorge on the North Carolina side will remain closed for months.
Drivers traveling between Tennessee and North Carolina are directed to take Interstate 81 and Interstate 77 through Virginia and detour around the damaged interstate. .
In Tennessee, TDOT announced that seven of the 14 state bridges damaged by Helen have reopened. Of the 49 affected roads, more than 17 road sections remain closed.
TDOT is also supporting recovery efforts in Florida after Hurricane Milton. TDOT said it has sent nearly 30 employees with vehicles and trailers to assist Florida road crews for at least 14 days.
“We are proud to have resources available to quickly mobilize to support the emergency needs of our Florida neighbors who were severely affected by Hurricane Milton,” said Lieutenant Governor and TDOT Secretary Butch Ely. “We will continue to work diligently with our FDOT partners.” To accelerate their recovery efforts and restore community connectivity, just as they did for us after Hurricane Helen devastated Upper East Tennessee. ”
