HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. — A drive to Tennessee for the holidays might take some North Carolina drivers longer this year.
A bridge in Pigeon River Gorge has a detour and drivers are seeing huge delays. Signage is posted as far away as Burke County, about a hundred miles away, to give drivers a heads up.
Traffic is backed up because one lane is closed in each direction on Interstate 40 near Exit 7 in Haywood County, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said. Crews are replacing the 56-year-old bridge on I-40 over Harmon Den Road and Cold Springs Creek. The bridge is approaching the end of its service life, NCDOT said.
Construction will continue into May 2022, officials said.
The lane closure leaves only one lane open on the interstate in each direction. Drivers can zipper merge on I-40 or take I-26 to I-81. The latter option adds 45 minutes to a typical commute between Asheville and the I-40/I-81 interchange.
“There are a lot of factors in play here, including the absolute need to replace the bridge, the topography of the area, and the lack of services for more than 20 miles,” NCDOT Construction Engineer Mitchell Bishop said. “We considered a variety of construction and traffic alternatives before settling on the onsite detour during the winter as the best option.”
Big time traffic delays along interstate 40 near the NC/TN line. The NCDOT is suggesting drivers take I-26 to I-81 if you’re heading to Tennessee for the holidays. The story tonight on eyewitness news starting at five. pic.twitter.com/sl61gecYeS
— Dave Faherty (@FahertyWSOC9) November 23, 2021
Channel 9 reporter Dave Faherty spoke to two families who made it through the detour and they said they don’t plan on coming back.
“That traffic, if it’s like that going back…it’s going to be crazy,” Darick Murphy said. “It’s going be crazy.”
“I would probably try to find a different route,” Joey Connell said. “Especially with the looks of it this way.”
Westbound traffic backed up for nearly seven miles Tuesday as it was routed off the interstate and back on using the ramps at Exit 7 to get around the bridge construction.
“We don’t want to get stuck out here,” said resident Steve Messer. “All it’s gonna take is one wreck and people are going to be sitting out here for hours and hours.”
The price tag for the new bridge is $19 million. The project will include fencing and a path underneath to help wildlife get from one side of the interstate to the other.
(WATCH: I-40 near Statesville reopened following weekend bridge repairs)
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