Latest news with #I40
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Yahoo
NC State student accused of shooting into cars on I-40 found incapable to proceed
An N.C. State student accused of shooting into multiple cars on I-40 last fall was deemed incapable of proceeding with a trial Monday. Andrew Thomas Graney, 24, faces more than a dozen charges in the slew of shootings over two days, in which at least eight vehicles and four homes were damaged and a woman was injured. Graney was arrested Nov. 7, three days after the first shooting was reported on I-40 eastbound between Chapel Hill Road and Cary Towne Boulevard, The News & Observer previously reported. Superior Court Judge Douglas Green ordered Graney committed to Central Regional Hospital on Monday after a June 19 evaluation, according to court documents. A forensic psychiatrist at the hospital noted in a report that Graney could be found competent to stand trial after receiving proper medical treatment. A district court judge had initially ruled in February that Graney should undergo a forensic psychiatry evaluation, court records show. History of mental health struggles Court documents from the June evaluation said Graney suffered from 'inadequately treated schizophrenia.' He didn't receive mental health treatment as a child, despite reported struggles including self-injury. Graney graduated from high school in 2019 and enrolled at N.C. State, where he first received treatment for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and ADHD, according to the report. He was hospitalized during his senior year after harming himself, the report says. He dropped out in the second semester of his senior year. Over the next year, Graney was hospitalized three times for self-injury and hallucinations. It's unclear when he returned to N.C. State, but he was living off-campus and attending classes at the time of his arrest, according to the report. Psychiatric evalutations after his arrest Upon his arrest, Graney received multiple psychiatric evaluations at the Wake County jail. He was placed on suicide watch at the jail and kept in a 'safety cell' but twice visited WakeMed's emergency department. Graney was sent to Central Prison's safekeeping unit Nov. 23, where he has remained since, according to the report. 'Currently Mr. Graney's symptoms of severe mental illness interfere with his ability to comprehend court proceedings and assist in his defense in a rational or reasonable manner,' the report states. ' Graney will receive treatment at Central Regional Hospital, according to Green's order of commitment. He may be deemed capable of proceeding with a trial in the future, though it's unclear how long that could take. The Wake County District Attorney's Office has reportedly offered Graney a plea bargain, according to the forensic psychiatrist's report, which doesn't specify what the terms of the arrangement would be.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Interstate 40 in the Smoky Mountains reopens faster than expected after rock slide and flooding
HARTFORD, Tenn. (AP) — Crews on Friday reopened a section of Interstate 40 along its narrow corridor through the Great Smoky Mountains after flooding and a rock slide closed the major cross country highway for nine days. The highway was already undergoing major repairs from massive damage and washouts during Hurricane Helene last fall and is down to one lane in each direction in far western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. About 2.5 to 3.5 inches (63 mm to 89 mm) of rain fell in the area over about three hours on June 18, swamping I-40 around Exit 451 in Tennessee, just to the west of the state line with North Carolina, officials said. The Tennessee Department of Transportation originally thought I-40 would be closed until July 3. The damaged section is part of 12 miles (19 kilometers) of I-40 in North Carolina and Tennessee that were 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. The permanent fix to stabilize what is left of the road will involve driving long steel rods into bedrock below the highway, 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.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
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 with engineers expecting the road closed for at least two weeks. 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. Engineers have found significant damage on both the highway and nearby ramps which was more extensive than originally thought, Republican Tennessee Rep. Jeremy Faison said on social media. 'Several areas remain under water, and there are potentially compromised slopes. Geotechnical engineers are on-site today to assess the stability of those slopes,' wrote Faison, who represents the area. Tennessee transportation officials estimate it will take at least two weeks to drain the water, make sure the slopes are safe and repair the highway. The damaged 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. The official detour takes drivers heading east on I-40 up Interstate 26 at Asheville, North Carolina, to Johnson City, Tennessee, and then south down Interstate 81 back to I-40.
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Smoky Mountains I-40 corridor may be closed for weeks following flooding and rock slides
A major Tennessee interstate that runs through the Great Smoky Mountains may be closed for weeks following flooding and rock slides. It will take around two weeks to clean up and repair the damage left on the I-40 near the Tennessee and North Carolina border Wednesday, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. A series of four rockslides and flooding brought rocks, trees and muddy water. No deaths or serious injuries were reported, but cars and trucks were left stuck in the debris-filled water. As of Thursday, only an 18-wheeler was left on the I-40, the Sentinel reported. Tennessee state Representative Jeremy Faison wrote on X Thursday morning, 'The damage is more extensive than @myTDOT initially anticipated. Significant impacts have been identified on both the interstate and the ramps. As of this morning, several areas remain under water, and there are potentially compromised slopes. Geotechnical engineers are on-site today to assess the stability of those slopes.' Will Reid, chief engineer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, said at a Thursday press conference that it will cost an estimated $500,000 to clean up and repair the road, per the Sentinel. The damaged road is part of 12 miles of I-40 that was wrecked by flooding as Hurricane Helene ripped through North Carolina and Tennessee last September, The Associated Press reported. "We're still in trauma,' Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis said at Thursday's press conference, adding that Tennesseans' 'ears are still ringing from eight months ago.' Crews are still fixing the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, which will continue alongside the rockslide cleanup, the Sentinel reports. "When that first call went out, immediately it was like, 'Oh no, not again.' But then, within a half a second later of that it was, 'OK, let's do this.' And that's what we do. Whatever the challenge is, we're going to face it together, head on. And we're going to overcome it,' Mathis said.
Associated Press
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
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.
