SWANNANOA, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Hundreds of roads and bridges across Buncombe County fell victim to Tropical Storm Helene, proving no match for the force of the water and flooding unleashed by the storm in late September.
The storm left North Carolina Department of Transportation crews with a mess to untangle. Some 1,439 incidents and 1,342 closures have been reported since the beginning of the storm, according to the NCDOT website.
But by Tuesday, some 1,061 of those roads had reopened, including 17 in the past week. Some 98 have partially reopened and 42 remained closed to truck traffic. The 290 roads that remained closed include a section of U.S. 70 in Swannanoa where floodwaters swamped the bridge near Interstate 40 exit 55.
NCDOT Division 13 and 14 Communications Officer David Uchiyama said major repairs to the bridge should be finished this week.
“Then, crews will begin placement of roadway fill next week with hopes of placing asphalt and opening the bridge by the end of November,” Uchiyama said.
Active closures in the Buncombe County area include:
- Medford Drive in Fairview
- SR 2802 (Lower Flat Creek Road) near Fairview
- SR 2810 (Hollywood Road) near Fairview
- Azalea Road East near Asheville
- N.C. 63 (New Leicester Highway) truck closure northwest of Asheville
- SR 2727 (Whitson Avenue) near Swannanoa
- SR 2432 (Davidson Road) near Swannanoa
- Hardesty Lane near Asheville
- SR 3276 (Wood Avenue) near Asheville
- U.S. 74 ALT (Fairview Road) near Asheville
- Greybeard Trail Road near Montreat
- U.S. 70 (Tunnel Road) east of Asheville
- N.C. 81 (Swannanoa River Road) in Asheville
- SR 3408 (Craven Street) in Asheville
- N.C. 197 (North Fork Road) east of Barnardsville
- N.C. 9 near Fairview
- Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville
- SR-2515 (Flat Creek Road) south of Black Mountain
- SR-2515 (Flat Creek Road) north of Black Mountain