Tennessee gets $32 million 'down payment' to begin repair of I-40, I-26 after Helene

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced on Saturday that the Tennessee Department of Transportation will get $32 million in Emergency Relief funding as a "down payment" to restore interstate highways that were washed out by Hurricane Helene.

In east Tennessee, Helene caused substantial infrastructure damage in eight counties.

Damage includes roadway washouts, culvert loss, and a need for bridge repairs and replacements, resulting in the closure of I-40 and I-26 near the Tennessee/North Carolina state line.

TDOT personnel have assessed damage to 310 bridges across six counties in East Tennessee. Crews removed 58 loads of debris from just one area of I-26 in Unicoi County.

TDOT estimates the damage left behind by Tropical Storm Helene will cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars to repair, along with months of closures.

North Carolina and South Carolina also received emergency relief funding for hurricane damage.

“You cannot get from North Carolina to TN via I-40 or I-26,” NCDOT warns on their website.