Editor’s note: This piece is the second of a two-part series exploring plans to rebuild I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge and the project’s implication for wildlife populations in the region. Find the first installment in last week’s Smoky Mountain News print edition or online at smokymountainnews.com.

As the floodwaters of Hurricane Helene receded, they revealed extensive damage to Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge, promising that the rebuilding effort would be a top priority for the NC Department of Transportation in the years ahead.

The forecast for this weekend’s winter storm, dubbed Fern, is not entirely clear yet, but it seems certain that Western North Carolina is bound for some rough weather. Light precipitation is expected to move in Saturday and intensify Sunday.

While initial tracks indicated the storm could dump over a foot of snow in some parts of the region, newer forecasts point to less snow in favor of a large ice accumulation, which in many senses could prove more devastating. Along with making most roads untravelable for a longer period, ice accumulation can weigh down and snap branches, leading to property damage and widespread power outages.

Western North Carolina entered 2025 with a familiar sense of dread, confusion and misplaced confidence as local governments, public agencies and assorted boards once again demonstrated an unwavering commitment to solving problems that do not exist while inventing several new ones along the way. 

From Jackson County’s continued Quixotic campaign against its own public library to the Department of Transportation’s discovery that some Haywood County roads remain dangerously intact, the year has already produced a wealth of developments that demanded immediate, serious attention — or at least, a healthy dose of mockery. 

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”

— Benjamin Franklin (probably)

When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, an oft repeated theme among elected and civic leaders was that the area would be built back better.

The N.C. Department of Transportation recently awarded a contract to improve travel conditions on N.C. 107 through Sylva.

Buchanan & Sons of Whittier earned the $103 million contract for a transformative project that will improve safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

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. 

The N.C. Department of Transportation has been nationally recognized for its collaborative and dynamic emergency response to Hurricane Helene last fall.

The N.C. Department of Transportation and its partners have selected two sites in the Pigeon River Gorge for extracting and storing material to help rebuild sections of Interstate 40 damaged by Hurricane Helene.

After more than four years of setbacks, political wrangling and bureaucratic delays, a small but vital infrastructure project in Haywood County is nearly complete — thanks in large part to the persistence of Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood). 

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.