NCDOT: How will Helene impact Asheville's I-26 Connector project?

ASHEVILLE - As N.C. Department of Transportation crews and its contractors concentrate on immediate recovery, a spokesperson said the long-term impact of Helene on the monumental I-26 Connector project has yet to be determined, but "it's doubtful to have a significant impact on the end date."

Since Tropical Storm Helene slammed Western North Carolina Sept. 27, bringing record-breaking floods and devastation, NCDOT crews identified more than 6,900 sites where roads and bridges are damaged, with officials cautioning that some roads remain dangerous and travel limited.

The department has reopened more than 600 roads since the storm, according to an Oct. 14 release.

“Damage estimates from what we have been able to assess to this point are up to several billion dollars and we’re not done,” said state Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins in the release. “The damage to our roads and bridges is like nothing we’ve ever seen after any storm, and this will be a long-term recovery operation. But we will be here until Western North Carolina can get back on its feet.”

The agency is still calling on people to not travel in WNC, unless they are local, responding to the recovery effort or have essential travel needs.

More:I-26 Connector: NCDOT updates Asheville City Council on progress, costs

"NCDOT crews and its contractors are currently concentrating on immediate recovery and repair," said spokesperson David Uchiyama, in response to questions about the connector Oct. 15. "It’s critical that we provide access to all residents, make temporary repairs to provide at least emergency access before beginning long-term permanent replacements."

The $1.3 billion N.C. Department of Transportation project will design a median-divided freeway, accessible only by interchanges, which will connect I-26 in southwest Asheville to U.S. 19/23/70 throughout northwest Asheville.

Once complete, the freeway would be part of I-26, which extends from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina.

Only days before Helene, NCDOT announced geotechnical drilling operations for preliminary work on the I-26 Connector would begin along the French Broad River between the Jeff Bowen Bridge and Pearson Road Bridge.

The drilling has been postponed indefinitely, Uchiyama said.

The long-awaited project, decades in the works, had recently reached a "milestone moment," with contracts awarded for the north and south sections of the project, both to Archer-Wright Joint Venture.

The contract for the North Section, which runs from Haywood Road in West Asheville and crosses the French Broad to connect to U.S. 19/23/70 and U.S. 240, was awarded in May at $1.15 billion.

It is the largest contract awarded by the NCDOT in state history, the Citizen Times previously reported.

Also ongoing is another I-26 project to widen approximately 16.9 miles of the interstate from U.S. 64 in Hendersonville to Brevard Road in Asheville. Construction began in 2019.

"Our I-26 widening contractors including Fluor-United have been part of the emergency response. They will likely transition back to interstate construction in the next few weeks," Uchiyama said.

"As for the Connector, the design firms continue developing the plans."

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Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email [email protected] or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.