KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Those traveling between North Carolina and Tennessee for Thanksgiving should prepare for longer road trips as closures following Hurricane Helene remain in place.
Travel between Tennessee and North Carolina is possible but comes with some detours.
According to the Tennessee Department of Transportations detour map, motorists who typically use I-40 will need to take I-26 until it reconnects with I-40 in Asheville. Vehicles over 10 feet wide must use I-81 to I-77, rejoining I-40 near Statesville.
I-40 at the Tennessee/North Carolina border is expected to reopen on Jan. 1, while I-26 reopened to one-lane traffic in each direction on Oct. 30.
TDOT has also released maps showing state route closures and detailed road closures in the most affected counties.
Looking at the forecast, the area is expecting rain on Wednesday and Thursday. This is important to consider when traveling as it can add more time to an already prolonged trip. The drive back should be clear but will be very cold.
It's important to note that some navigation apps might not be updated and account for road closures. You can always use TDOT Smartway to check real-time closure information.
To ease holiday traffic, TDOT announced that crews would not close lanes for construction projects over the Thanksgiving holiday, to help accommodate traffic. However, lanes already closed for long-term projects will remain closed for safety reasons.
Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage to bridges and roads, particularly in upper East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. TDOT estimates repairs will cost hundreds of millions of dollars and require months of closures.