ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Heads up if you are traveling to or from Asheville during winter or spring anytime in the next year and a half: Traffic on Interstate 40 is about to be a mess again on busy weekends and holidays in the Pigeon River Gorge.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Friday that crews will soon begin replacing more aging bridges in that section of I-40 roughly halfway between the Tennessee-North Carolina state line and Asheville.
In May, crews finished work on a new bridge over I-40 at Harmon Den Road after several months of long traffic jams at the worksite. NCDOT said drivers can expect more of the same between the months of November and May through May 2024. All lanes will reopen in 2023 from May 20 through October.
NCDOT said I-40 will be down to one lane in both directions for roughly two miles between exit 20 and mile marker 18 in Haywood County starting in November. Tennessee and North Carolina DOT crews have set up signs on I-40 from the gorge all the way into Knox County alerting drivers of the closures.
The construction is scheduled to begin right as holiday travel begins to ramp up. NCDOT said people should expect long backups if they are traveling through the gorge, particularly on Friday and weekend afternoons as well as holiday weekends.
NCDOT said two bridges over White Oak Road and Jonathan Creek have reached the end of their service life and need to be replaced. The new bridges will also feature special fencing that attracts animals toward a safe passage away from vehicles. These are placed in areas where crashes involving animals are common to protect drivers as well as to help bears, elk and other wildlife find safe passage over or under interstate traffic.
For people looking to bypass the Pigeon River Gorge, it's going to involve a lengthy detour no matter what. NCDOT said drivers should consider taking a detour during busy travel days, as it may still save you time and frustration compared to sitting in stop-and-go traffic for an hour or more.
For East Tennessee travelers, the main detour to Asheville adds about 45 minutes to the drive. It involves traveling up I-81 North toward Kingsport instead of taking I-40 East at the split near Dandridge and then taking I-26 East through Johnson City down to Asheville.
NCDOT said tractor-trailer truck drivers traveling west on I-40 into Tennessee need to stay on I-40 because there are no safe alternate routes through the mountains for them past Asheville.
NCDOT said people should keep an eye on traffic conditions on DriveNC.gov in the gorge when planning which route to take, saying it strongly suggests taking an alternate route if there is a crash in the work zone.
“Driving through the work zone will take the least amount of time on most days,” said Chad Franklin, NCDOT Regional Intelligent Traffic Systems Engineer. “But weekends and busy days, going through Kingsport will save drivers the most time. Planning ahead, and anticipating delays, is a very important part of trip planning this winter.”