Those traveling through eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina should prepare for delays and detours.
A rock slide along I-40 at the N.C. 2.6 mile marker has that major through-way on long-term shut down. Both directions are closed between mile marker 20 in N.C. and the 421 yardstick in Tennesee, said the NCDOT. The slide happened 24 miles west of Asheville, N.C.
Truckers on I-40 eastbound heading into N.C can still get there by accessing I-81 north at exit 421, then taking exit 57, for I-26 east to Asheville. Westbound travelers can reverse the directions to get to Knoxville and points west.
Adding to the traffic woes, portions of I-81 will be closed at exit 23, to repair cracks found in overpass bridges crossing U.S. 11E in Greene County. Two cracks were found in a beam of the northbound span, which will be closed at 10 p.m. Saturday. This side is expected to be reopened about 12 hours later. The southbound bridge had one crack, which workers will repair starting 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, and should be opened again by 10 a.m. the next morning. Travelers will use the off-ramps/on-ramps to navigate past the repairs.
In addition, another access to western N.C., U.S. 64 in Polk County, Tenn., is out of commission for a few weeks, reported Fox News, following two rock slides across that road within a span of seven hours. DOT officials estimate the clean-up to take about three weeks, the news agency said.
Sources:
The North Carolina Dept. of Transportation
Thetrucker.com: Emergency repairs planned for I-81 bridges in Tennessee. The Associated Press.
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