The signs are still there lining the fragile bank separating Interstate 40 from the Pigeon River — chunks of jagged asphalt, wayward pipes, rusty cables bent into submission by nature. 

Just 11 months ago, as Hurricane Helene mercilessly swamped the whole region, the river, now low and calm, was force-fed by its tributaries and swelled to the point it carried away 10 sections of I-40’s eastbound lanes over about a five-mile stretch near the Tennessee border.

A critical process has been completed, permitting the N.C. Department of Transportation and its project team to extract rock necessary for reconstruction of Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge. 

Heavy rains on the afternoon of June 18 led to a substantial rockslide on the Tennessee side of the state line that caused a closure of I-40 that officials believe will last until about July 4. 

It’s been about five months since the 20-mile stretch of Interstate 40 in Haywood County up to the Tennessee state line has been shut down due to massive damage over a span of about three miles, but as of now, one lane of travel in each direction is expected to be restored next week. 

Officials at all levels of government, including new U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, visited the construction area along I-40 near the Tennessee border to take a look at progress and renew the pledge to get the necessary repairs done as quickly and safely as possible. 

A visit from U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and comments made by North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein have given residents of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee considerable reasons for optimism as the region continues to recover from Hurricane Helene.

The fallout immediately following the disaster wrought by Hurricane Helene was tragic and traumatizing, but as time has gone on and debris piles slowly disappear, certain secondary woes are being fully realized. 

When the Safe Passage coalition started working in 2017 to make Interstate 40 a safer place for people and wildlife through the Pigeon River Gorge, nobody knew that, in a few short years, entire sections of the critical roadway would vanish in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Traffic may be flowing in both directions on Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge — albeit slower than normal — by New Year’s Day.

The Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly took its second step in flood recovery on Oct. 24, designating from the state’s $4.4 billion Rainy Day Fund an additional $604 million in funding and resources for disaster recovery in response to Hurricane Helene — far less than the $3.9 billion the state’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper wanted, and with little real help to businesses that can’t afford to take out more loans.