logo
Five Tennessee roads remain closed six months after Helene as recovery continues

Five Tennessee roads remain closed six months after Helene as recovery continues

Yahoo26-03-2025

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — This week marks six months since Hurricane Helene devastated parts of East Tennessee and western North Carolina. While the majority of Tennessee roads have reopened, five sections remain closed.
The massive storm took lives, destroyed homes, damaged bridges, shut down part of I-40 between Tennessee and North Carolina, and damaged I-26 in Unicoi County. United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this would 'be the most expensive emergency relief project that we have ever had in the country.'
Over 100 cars line up for new mobile food pantry as flood recovery continues in Cocke County
During these six months, I-40 partially reopened. Of the 49 sections of state roads closed in the aftermath, 44 are back open, according to a Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson. Businesses have reopened, and park trails have been restored.
Yet, there is still so much left to do. Five road sections remain closed, according to TDOT, including the following:
Carter SR67 (bridge) estimated opening: May 31, 2025
Greene SR107 (bridge) estimated opening: June 23, 2025
Washington SR81 (bridge) estimated opening: June 23, 2025
Carter/Johnson SR159 estimated opening: August 31, 2025
Washington SR353 (bridge) estimated opening: May 22, 2026
In the aftermath, the people of East Tennessee have come together help, from retired couples to high school students.
Lawyer breaks down wrongful death lawsuit filed by Riley Strain's family
Some people have said their FEMA checks have been stolen. Other people have had their insurance companies deny coverage on lost homes. The six months of struggle are reminiscent of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's words in the aftermath of the disaster.
'Whether it's a loss of a family member, a loss home, the loss of water, the loss of employment… they're survivors,' Lee said. 'Tennesseans are survivors.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule 'illegal'
Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule 'illegal'

Washington Post

time3 days ago

  • Washington Post

Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule 'illegal'

DETROIT — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a rule Friday that Biden-era fuel economy standards for gas-powered cars and trucks are illegal and moved to reverse them, paving the way for a likely reset of rules. Combined with Senate language in the pending budget bill to eliminate penalties for exceeding standards regulating how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel, automakers moving forward could come under less pressure from regulators to reduce their pollution. Ultimately, the nation's use of electric vehicles could be slowed.

Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule 'illegal'
Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule 'illegal'

Associated Press

time3 days ago

  • Associated Press

Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule 'illegal'

DETROIT (AP) — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a rule Friday that Biden-era fuel economy standards for gas-powered cars and trucks were illegal and moved to reverse them, paving the way for a likely reset of rules. Combined with Senate language in the pending budget bill to eliminate penalties for exceeding standards regulating how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel, automakers moving forward could come under less pressure from regulators to reduce their pollution. Ultimately, the nation's use of electric vehicles could be slowed. The moves align with the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to slash federal support for EVs. President Donald Trump has pledged to end what he has called an EV 'mandate,' referring incorrectly to former President Joe Biden's target for half of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030. EVs do not use gasoline or emit planet-warming greenhouse gases. No federal policy has required auto companies to sell — or car buyers to purchase — EVs, although California and other states have imposed rules requiring that all new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035. When he was in office, Biden imposed increasingly stringent emissions standards for cars and trucks. He included use of EVs in calculating the rules — an inclusion the Trump administration and the auto industry have argued was illegal and raised the bar too high for automakers to meet. The Transportation Department's memorandum Friday said the previous administration 'ignored statutory requirements' that barred consideration of EVs when setting standards. 'We are making vehicles more affordable and easier to manufacture in the United States,' Duffy said. The revised rule does not itself change existing standards, but it empowers the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to make adjustments in coming months. Duffy put pressure on the federal agency earlier this year to reverse the fuel economy rules as soon as possible. Under the Biden administration, automakers were required to average about 50 miles (81 kilometers) per gallon of gas by 2031 — up from about 39 miles (63 kilometers) per gallon for light-duty vehicles today — in an effort to save almost 70 billion gallons (265 billion liters) of gasoline through 2050. The rules, finalized in 2024, increased fuel economy 2% per year for passenger cars in every model year from 2027 to 2031, and 2% each year for SUVs and other light trucks from 2029 to 2031. Mileage rules — in place since the 1970s energy crisis — work alongside the EPA limits on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation accounts for the largest source of the nation's planet-warming emissions, and cars and trucks make up more than half of those. In recent years, automakers have been manufacturing gasoline-fueled cars that are more efficient and get higher mileage. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents automakers, called Duffy's announcement 'a positive development' that adds 'important clarity' to federal mileage rules. The Biden-era standards 'were 'improperly predicated' on alternative fuel vehicles,' said John Bozzella, the group's president and CEO. But Katherine Garcia, director of the Sierra Club's Clean Transportation for All program, said the Transportation Department's action will increase costs for Americans and increase pollution. 'Making our vehicles less fuel-efficient hurts families by forcing them to pay more at the pump,' she said. 'It will lead to fewer clean-vehicle options for consumers, squeeze our wallets, endanger our health and increase climate pollution.' Meanwhile, Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee added proposed language to the pending budget bill Thursday that would remove fines penalizing automakers that don't meet fuel economy standards with their gas-powered vehicles. Automakers can buy credits under a trading program if they don't meet the standards. Manufacturers whose vehicles exceed the standards earn credits that they can sell to other carmakers. The memo and bill text landed this week as Tesla owner Elon Musk and Trump engage in a public spat online, with Trump suggesting that Musk 'only developed a problem' with his budget bill because it rolls back tax credits for EVs. Musk disputes that. ___ Daly reported from Washington. ___ Read more of AP's climate coverage at ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at

Trump admin launches fuel economy standard rollback
Trump admin launches fuel economy standard rollback

E&E News

time3 days ago

  • E&E News

Trump admin launches fuel economy standard rollback

The Department of Transportation formally started the process of rewriting the fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, issuing a rule that said the Biden administration's standards are legally flawed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered the department to revise the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard when he took office in January, and the department hinted at its strategy in a May 19 announcement. The 'interpretive rule' released Friday says the two most recent rounds of CAFE standards, which cover model years 2022 through 2026 and 2027 through 2031, went beyond the letter of the law. The Transportation Department won't enforce them until it writes new versions of the standard, a spokeswoman said. Advertisement The crux of the argument is that the Biden administration considered the performance of electric vehicles when it wrote the rules, which made them more stringent than they should've been, according to the text of Friday's rule.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store