Update at 5:56 p.m. from the N.C. Department of Transportation:
HARMON DEN – N.C. Department of Transportation officials reopened one lane of Interstate 40 westbound about 5:20 p.m., following a rockslide Monday afternoon near mile marker 7.5.
Crews from Division 14 cleared debris from beside the road and removed large rocks from the mountainside before examining the area for additional safety hazards. Geotechnical experts will revisit the site in Haywood County early Tuesday morning to help determine when both lanes can open. Recent heavy rains likely played a role in the rocks coming loose.
Transportation officials were alerted to the slide about 1:15 p.m., Monday and closed the two lanes for the safety of the traveling public. Upon arrival, employees found three boulders in a ditch beside the road and determined that a handful other rocks need to be removed from the mountain because they posed a danger to drivers.
A larger slide occurred less than one mile west of this location in February.
For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.
Press release from N.C. Department of Transportation:
Debris from a rockslide has closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 in Haywood County at mile marker 7.5 through at least Monday afternoon.
N.C. Department of Transportation officials were alerted to the slide about 1:15 p.m., Monday and closed the two lanes for the safety of the traveling public. Upon arrival, transportation officials found three boulders in a ditch beside the road and determined that a handful of other rocks need to be removed from the mountain because they posed a danger to drivers.
Recent heavy rains likely played a role in the rocks coming loose, and geotechnical engineers also arrived on Monday afternoon to conduct further examinations.
Engineers estimate that crews will clear the debris, remove the hazards, examine the roadway, and reopen at least one lane early Monday evening if all is deemed safe for travel.
Traffic heading west toward Tennessee may consider using a detour to that uses a combination of I-40, I-240, I-26, and I-81 through Asheville and Johnson City. The distance from Asheville to the I-40/I-81 junction in Tennessee is about 50 miles longer than driving through the Pigeon River Gorge.
A larger slide occurred less than one mile west of this location in February.
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