Truckers Run into Trouble Trying to Get Around Hurricane-Ravaged I-40
If truck drivers are using a navigation app that takes them off the approved interstate detour to get around the part of I-40 closed by Hurricane Helene, they could be risking tickets or worse.
November 18, 2024
North Carolina DOT officials have been ticketing trucks for not using approved detours -- and many are getting stuck trying to navigate the narrow, winding secondary mountain roads.
Photo: NCDOT
1 min to read
As work continues to restore Interstate 40 after the devastation of Hurricane Helene, officials in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee are warning truck drivers to not use narrow, winding detours instead of designated Interstate detours.
The North Carolina DOT posted on its social media that the risks include tickets as well as trucks getting stuck or overturning. More than 100 tickets were issued in a single day on Nov. 14.
Hurricane Helene hit the area on September 27, with torrential rains causing extensive flooding and mudslides and closing thousands of roads. Many routes need significant repairs and others a total rebuild.
There's a long detour to get around the closed portion of I-40 in western North Carolina.
Photo: Tennessee DOT
The only large truck routes to and from western North Carolina are Interstate 77 to Interstate 81 or Interstate 40 to US Highway 74.
The department also discouraged drivers from following other routes suggested by some navigation apps.
The NC DOT has targeted New Year’s Day for a partial reopening of I-40, with one late in each direction.
Meanwhile, in Tennessee, according to published reports, new signs have been installed along Highway 30 in Polk County to deter commercial trucks from using it.
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