I-40 reopens in Buncombe County, remains closed at Tennessee line

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — A busy part of a major western North Carolina interstate reopened Tuesday, Gov. Roy Cooper said.

After a mudslide blocked a majority of Interstate 40 in Buncombe County, Cooper said the highway will be back open Tuesday in both directions.

Around noon, Cooper confirmed I-40 East had reopened and I-40 West would reopen later that day. The highway takes drivers in and out of Asheville.

Cooper said 1,100 people are in shelters in North Carolina. He said 57,000 people have applied for FEMA assistance and the agency has already started distributing funds.

While the interstate is open in the Asheville area, Cooper said the part of I-40 that collapsed near the Tennessee line would remain closed for some time. In that area, the westbound lanes collapsed in a washout into the Pigeon River.

I-26 also remains closed at the state line, authorities said Monday.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has repeatedly asked drivers to consider all roads in western North Carolina closed to all non-emergency travel.

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Cooper plans to visit a supply distribution center in Black Mountain late Tuesday afternoon to thank volunteers and assess storm damage.

(WATCH BELOW: ‘Wiped out’: Hundreds left homeless after historic flooding in Asheville)

‘Wiped out’: Hundreds left homeless after historic flooding in Asheville

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