NCDOT Crews Responding to Road Damage Across Mountains by
ASHEVILLE — Severe rains have caused mudslides, washouts and flooding on interstates, highways and local roads across western North Carolina in recent days. N.C. Department of Transportation crews have been working around the clock to assess damage, remove debris, clean pipes, and clear ditches in counties spanning from Cherokee County in the far west to Surry County in the northeastern mountains. Road conditions will change throughout the day. Some roads may reopen after water recedes or small slides are cleared. It’s also possible for road conditions to deteriorate and other roads to be closed. Transportation officials remind motorists to drive with extra caution and never cross moving water. It can takes inches — not feet — of running water to wash away a vehicle. State transportation officials have closed roads in Avery, Buncombe, McDowell, Watauga, Henderson, Rutherford, Macon, Polk, Mitchell, Transylvania, Gaston, Catawba and Iredell counties. At the Buncombe-McDowell County line, two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane of Interstate 40 near Mile Marker 67 were closed by a mudslide. Five vehicles were caught in the mud but no injuries were reported. Transportation crews worked through the night to clear debris from the road. By 2 a.m., crews restored two lanes in the eastbound direction and one lane in the westbound direction. In McDowell County, two NCDOT workers were rescued after the tandem dump truck they were using to help clear a mud slide was pushed off a road by another slide and into the Catawba River. They climbed out through a passenger window and stood on the side of the truck in the water until emergency crews got them to safety. Below is a list of highways and primary roads that are closed in the western part of the state, as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Some secondary roads — but not all — are included. AVERY COUNTY Highway U.S. 221 Secondary Roads Pilot Ridge Road Edgemont Road WATAUGA COUNTY Secondary Road Rominger Road near Watauga River Road — Bridge closed on 5/19 IREDELL COUNTY Secondary Road Hill Dairy Road CALDWELL COUNTY Secondary Roads Brown Mountain Beach Road Old Johns River Road Camp Carolwood Road BUNCOMBE COUNTY I-40: Two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane near MM 67 Highways Swannanoa River Road Fairview Road at Swannanoa River Road Sweeten Creek Road near Biltmore Village Riverside Drive U.S. 25 in Biltmore Village McDOWELL COUNTY I-40: Two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane near MM 67 Highway N.C. 80 northbound MITCHELL COUNTY Highway N.C. 197 RUTHERFORD COUNTY Highway U.S. 64/74 Secondary Road Bills Creek Road near Antioch HENDERSON COUNTY Secondary Roads Middle Fork Road Brookside Camp Road Willow Rd. at River Road Butler Bridge Road from Jeffress Road and Tap Root Dairy Ledbetter Road Balfour Road Gilliam Road Hooper Lane Hoopers Creek Road Nix Road N. Ridge Road Erkwood Road S. Mills Gap Road Howard Gap Road between Nix Road and N. Clear Creek Raod. Old Airport Road at Blue Ridge Community College East New Hope Road off of Old Airport Road MACON COUNTY Secondary Road River Road POLK COUNTY U.S. 176 between Ozone Drive and Harmon Field Drive Secondary Roads Howard Gap Road Holbert Cove Road Abrams and Moore Road John Watson Road Green River Cove Road TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY Secondary Roads Island Ford Road Barclay Road Davidson River Road Cascade Lake Road Wilson Road ***NCDOT***
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Contact: David Uchiyama duchiyama@ncdot.gov (828) 251-6171