Press release from N.C. Department of Transportation:
A bridge on U.S. 70 is scheduled to reopen Tuesday night and alleviate some congestion in eastern Buncombe County.
The bridge, located just east of the Asheville Veterans Affairs Hospital, will carry traffic for the first time since Hurricane Helene damaged structural elements and scoured away the eastern approach.
An average of 16,000 vehicles per day crossed the bridge prior to the hurricane. Its closure increased congestion on I-40 and I-240 east of Asheville. NCDOT officials anticipate the opening to relieve some of this congestion as drivers return to the bridge.
“From the ground up, we identified that we had to rehab the substructure, then come behind and build a reinforced retaining wall to establish the roadway again,” said Tom Veazey, a Division 13 resident engineer. “We’re finishing the paving today for the traveling public.”
The repairs cost approximately $900,000. IPC structures conducted the bridge operations and partnered with APAC-Harrison for the resurfacing.
With the reopening, no other U.S. highways are closed in Buncombe County. But several North Carolina highways remain closed in the county, including stretches of N.C. 81 and N.C. 197, plus stretches of roads on the state secondary system.
NCDOT crews and contractors have reopened more than 1,230 roads across western North Carolina that were previously closed, including more than 120 in the past week. There are less than 190 remaining closures due to Helene, according to the NCDOT dashboard.
For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.
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