The reconstruction of Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge is expected to take longer and cost more than originally planned, with the current price tag standing at $2.8 billion — nearly triple the initial estimate of $1 billion.
The project is now on track to be completed by late 2029, a year later than the most recent estimate given by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
In a statement, North Carolina Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson said the project is the most complex in state history. He pledged that NCDOT will “remain focused on delivering the safest, most durable solution while carefully managing taxpayer dollars.”
“We are rebuilding while we continue to investigate and design, which means our understanding of the work becomes more precise as construction advances,” Johnson said Wednesday. “We will continue to be transparent as those estimates evolve, while looking for every opportunity to reduce costs and restore four lanes of traffic as quickly as possible without compromising the long-term resilience of this critical interstate.”
According to NCDOT, construction crews recently discovered that the bedrock in the project area is far deeper than they originally thought. That means they’ll need to use longer steel piles to ensure the stability of the rebuilt roadway. While the bedrock is exposed in some places, in others, it’s 50 feet below the surface of the ground.
“History shows us that I-40 in the Gorge is vulnerable to flooding and failure, and not addressing the vulnerabilities now would result in the same damages at some point in the future,” Division 14 Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said in a statement. “The cost and consequence of slope failure is very high along this critical transportation corridor.”
The stretch of interstate, part of a crucial freight corridor linking North Carolina and Tennessee, sustained catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene. The surging floodwaters caused the highway’s eastbound lanes to crumble into the Pigeon River, forcing the closure of the roadway for more than five months.
Since its reopening in March 2025, traffic has been reduced to one lane in each direction. In a video message Wednesday, Grindstaff said NCDOT is aiming to have two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane open by late 2028.
During a tour of the project site in May, engineers said the reconstruction was expected to cost a total of $2 billion and be completed in fall 2028. They also underscored the complexity of repairing an interstate in a flood- and landslide-prone gorge, noting the state’s goal of rebuilding the embankment to withstand future natural disasters.
“The intent of our design is to withstand a similar event such as Helene,” NCDOT resident engineer Blake Soblesky said at the time.
