Flooding and rock slides close heavily damaged I-40 section in Smoky Mountains
HARTFORD, Tenn. (AP) — Heavy rain, flooding and a rock slide have again closed a section of the major cross country highway Interstate 40 along its narrow corridor through the Great Smoky Mountains.
The slide and flood happened Wednesday afternoon around mile marker 450 in Tennessee, just to the west of the state line with North Carolina, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said on social media.
Crews continued to work Thursday to get the water and rock off the highway and had not released when they think the road could be reopened, the DOT said.
The flooded section is part of 12 miles (19 kilometers) of I-40 in North Carolina and Tennessee that was washed away or heavily damaged by flooding that roared through the Pigeon River gorge during Hurricane Helene in late September.
Crews repaired and shored up enough of the old highway to open one narrow lane in each direction in March.
The lanes are separated by a curb several inches high that had to be removed to let vehicles stuck by the flooding and rockslide to turn around and go the other way.
About 2.5 to 3.5 inches (63 mm to 89 mm) of rain fell in the area over about three hours, according to the National Weather Service.
The permanent fix to stabilize what's left of the road will involve driving long steel rods into bedrock below the road, filling them with grout and spraying concrete on the cliff face to hold them in place. It will take years.
I-40 runs from Wilmington. North Carolina to Barstow, California, and any detour around the Great Smoky Mountain section is dozens of miles. Trucks have gotten stuck on twisty narrow mountain roads and are banned on another major highway through the area U.S. 441 through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
6 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mexico assesses damage from Hurricane Erick as rising rivers leave at least 1 dead
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Authorities in southern Mexico were still assessing damage and watching rising rivers as rain from the remnants of Hurricane Erick doused the region. Torrential rains over steep coastal mountains and the landslides and flooding they could generate became ongoing concern for officials after Erick dissipated following a landfall early Thursday on a sparsely populated stretch of coast. At least one death was confirmed late Thursday, a 1-year-old boy who drowned in a swollen river. Erick came ashore down southern Mexico's Pacific coast in the morning as a Category 3 major hurricane, but it landed between the resort cities of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido. Authorities reported landslides, blocked highways, downed power lines and some flooding as coastal residents, above all in Acapulco, took the storm seriously with memories of the devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023 still fresh in their minds. With a steady rain falling on Acapulco, residents and remaining tourists emerged to walk outside or visit businesses opening gradually as the remnants of Hurricane Erick scraped by just inland of the resort. In Puerto Escondido, fishermen searched for and inspected storm-tossed boats and residents cleared downed trees and other debris. The threat of heavy rain remained in the mountains that rise abruptly behind Acapulco's famed beaches. Erick spent the day dragging through the coastal mountain range, dropping torrential quantities of rain. It was expected to dissipate Thursday night over the mountains in Michoacan state. Erick once had Category 4 strength The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Erick was centered about 155 kilometers (95 miles) north-northwest of Acapulco Thursday night. Its maximum sustained winds were 45 kph (30 mph), degrading it to a low pressure area. It was moving northwest at 20 kph (13 mph). Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast but weakened before making landfall to a Category 3. Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick churned through an ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 55 kph (35 mph) in 24 hours — which is about twice the average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the hurricane center. President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday 'the people have reacted very well so far.' But authorities warned the heavy rain would now become the problem. Forecasters expected up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) of rain could fall across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states. The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain. Late Thursday, Guerrero state Civil Defense Director Roberto Arroyo said that a 1-year-old boy had died in San Marcos, an inland community southeast of Acapulco in the path of Erick. The child's mother had tried to cross a swollen river while carrying the child, but he slipped from her arms and drowned. Residents venture out Restaurants, shops and supermarkets gradually reopened in Acapulco, but schools were to remain closed across Guerrero on Friday as authorities continued to assess damage, clear debris and monitor rising rivers. 'Many of us were frightened, but now it has passed,' said Juan Carlos Castañeda, a 49-year-old security guard at an Acapulco condominium complex. He said the 'tragedy of Otis marked all of us.' Despite the rain, Castañeda decided to go out for a walk. Down the coast in the fishing village of Barra Vieja, the wind-whipped surf battered the shore and heavy rain kept residents sheltered indoors. Perla Rosas, however, was among the few who ventured out, umbrella in hand, to get to her job at a convenience store. 'I feel more relaxed now, so I decided to come to work.' Acapulco still scarred by Otis Acapulco residents had braced for Erick's arrival with more preparation and trepidation because of the memory of the devastation two years earlier. The city of nearly 1 million was hit in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many unprepared. At least 52 people died in Otis and the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort's hotels. ___ Cruz reported from Puerto Escondido, Mexico.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Canadian rescuers rush to a remote part of Banff park following reports that a rock slide hit hikers
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Rescue crews, police and paramedics rushed to the remote Canadian Rocky Mountain region of Banff National Park late Thursday after receiving reports that a group of hikers were hit by a rock slide, causing possible injuries and deaths. 'The initial report indicated there were multiple hikers and there may be serious injuries and/or fatalities,' Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Gina Slaney said in a news release. Parks Canada said in a statement that it is responding to a report of 'a serious rockfall incident with involvement near Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park.' The site is north of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of Calgary. It is also about 137 kms (85 miles) away from where leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump met at the Group of Seven Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta this week. Temporary road closures were expected on the Icefields Parkway near Bow Lake in order to allow responders to work. Parks Canada has asked visitors to avoid the area. STARS Air Ambulance spokeswoman Kate Langille said two of its units were deployed around 2 p.m. She said the organization would have more to say after crews returned to their bases in Edmonton and Calgary. The Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail is a 9-kilometer (six mile) route open year-round, running along the edges of Bow Lake. It's considered a moderate challenge for hikers and day-trippers include families. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was deeply saddened. 'We are thinking of all those involved and wishing for their safety as we await further details,' she said in a post on social media.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Erick weakens after landfall in southern Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane
Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca early Thursday as a major hurricane before moving inland and weakening to a tropical storm. (AP/Luis Alberto Cruz and Amaranta Marentes)
