Rock slide shuts down I-40 at TN/NC line - Traffic re-routed

Parts of Interstate 40 could remain closed for months following a massive rock slide at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line.

The slide happened around 2:00 a.m. Sunday about 3 miles from the state border in Haywood County, North Carolina.  The rubble reaches about 50 feet high and 100 feet long.  

It could take several months to clean up the entire slide and restore traffic.

The N.C. Department of Transportation has made an emergency declaration and a contractor is en route.  A Trooper with the North Carolina Highway Patrol tells 10 News that a construction crew has been called in to remove the rocks from the road.

Authorities reported minor injuries to one woman whose Jeep was struck by a falling rock.

Detours Established

Drivers traveling from Tennessee to western North Carolina via I-40 are advised to take one of two eastbound detours. 

The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) recommends traveling east to North Carolina via I-81 to Johnson City, then taking I-26 to Asheville. 

Drivers in normal passenger vehicles can also take Highway 25-70 from Newport into North Carolina. 

A trooper told 10 News transfer trucks are unable to utilize 25-70 due to weight restrictions and construction on a narrow bridge near the state line.

Dead End for Travelers and Businesses

Sunday's rock slide took a toll on drivers in east Tennessee who suddenly found themselves at a surprising dead end approximately six miles west of the North Carolina boarder.

Although there is one final exit before the rock slide at mile marker 451, troopers said the exit is too narrow for large trucks.  THP subsequently decided to shut down I-40 eastbound at exit 447 near the community of Hartford where the road allows for an easier reversal of direction. 

For Valerie Baxter, owner of the BP gas station and Pigeon River Smokehouse at exit 447, the falling rocks created a short-term windfall.

"All day, it has been just bumper to bumper past the business," said Baxter.  "People have been coming in, asking for directions, grabbing a snack, grabbing something to eat."

After repeatedly scribbling hand-written driving directions for frustrated drivers, Baxter printed a small stack of clear instructions on her computer.

"We printed these types of frequently requested directions before for people trying to get to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.  After a few hand cramps today, I decided to do the same for the detours."  Baxter added, "People are frustrated, scared, and not knowing which way to go. It has been crazy."

Although Sunday's non-stop traffic paved the way for increased foot traffic, Baxter expects the interstate's closure to devastate her business in the near future.

"Most of these people did not know the interstate was closed.  While things are good today, we better enjoy it now because it is going to kill us.  It's going to be really bad for business," said Baxter.

Baxter said she is hopeful crews can open at least two lanes of I-40 in the near future to allow the renewed flow of traffic and customers.

"The current detour to North Carolina is around 15 miles away in Newport.  We'll just have to be patient, help our customers however we can, and see what happens," said Baxter.

"If there is not any traffic flowing through here, it will be dead here," said Hartford resident Richard Stuart.  "There won't be anybody. It will be a ghost town.  These businesses, the gas stations, and the rafting company all depend on traffic from the interstate."

Rock Slide "Déjà Vu"

The stretch of Interstate 40 near the state line winds through extremely rugged terrain and has been prone to road-closing rock slides through the years.

THP Trooper Mike Bales monitored the road block at Exit 447 Sunday afternoon.  Bales said the incident was "déjà vu" as he recalled being the first officer on the scene at a massive rock slide in the summer of 1997.

"Back then I was working midnights by myself up in this mountain," said Bales.  "They told me they had a rock slide.  So they sent me up here to close the interstate down by myself and turn the truck traffic around.  I had trucks going everywhere."

The 1997 rock slide blocked Interstate 40 in both directions for more than two months.

CLICK HERE for Bill Williams' Our Stories report about the impact of the 1997 closure.

The 1997 rock slide was also memorable for a WBIR news crew.  When covering the initial rock slide, a second wave of rocks showered down from the mountainside.  WBIR video-journalist Brian Holt was shooting footage of the slide when one large rock bounced across the interstate and directly over his head.