I-40 Closes In Smoky Mountains After Flooding And Rock Slides Cause Heavy Damage

Mother Nature has brought travel to a halt in the Great 🏔️Smoky Mountains, where a fresh round of torrential rain triggered both 🌊Flooding and a rockslide, forcing the closure of a critical stretch of Interstate 40.

According to the Associated Press, the disruption occurred on Wednesday afternoon near mile marker 450 in eastern Tennessee, just shy of the North Carolina border. The Tennessee Department of Transportation shared updates on social media, confirming the incident.

Emergency crews were still clearing debris and draining floodwaters as of Thursday.

“No estimated reopening time has been provided,” transportation officials said.

This section of 🛣️I-40 — spanning 12 miles across Tennessee and North Carolina — has already endured its share of punishment.

In late September, Hurricane Helene, which was a Category 4 storm upon making landfall in Perry, Florida, unleashed devastating floods that tore through the Pigeon River Gorge, badly damaging or wiping out large portions of the road.