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.
NCDOT officials received a 404 Individual Permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and a 401 Water Quality Certification from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Resources Division on Friday. In the permits, NCDOT identifies efforts to reduce impacts to the natural environment and the department will continue to update the permit as design plans are refined.
“We greatly appreciate the partnership that has been established between NCDOT and the state and federal regulatory agencies on the I-40 repair project,” said NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins. “Having these permits in-hand will allow us to now access the borrow site and begin the next — and probably most critical — phase of the I-40 repair process.”
NCDOT has coordinated and will continue to partner with the USDOT Federal Highway Administration, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, N.C. Division of Water Resources and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission on the reconstruction of I-40.
“The USDA Forest Service has made long-term Helene recovery a priority, and there are few projects in Western North Carolina more important in the recovery process than the rebuilding of I-40,” said Forest Supervisor James Melonas with the National Forests in North Carolina. “We greatly appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with our state and federal partners to help complete this project as quickly and fiscally responsible as possible, while also working together to mitigate impacts to natural resources.”
Using nearby stone from the Pisgah National Forest across the river from I-40 will reduce estimated construction costs and timelines compared to using rock materials from other locations farther away. Utilizing the extraction site will also decrease travel times for I-40 drivers and increase safety by reducing the number of heavy trucks in the two-lane pattern.
“North Carolina is building again with the full support of the federal government after the devastating washout from Hurricane Helene,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “We are working to expedite the recovery of devastated Appalachian communities from last fall’s flooding. Let me be clear to our neighbors in North Carolina: this administration stands with you.”
Crews are currently finishing a causeway adjacent to the river corridor that is functionally complete. The causeway provides critical access to the base of the interstate for geotechnical data collection necessary to properly design the required retaining walls. The causeway will also allow the contractor, Ames Construction, to safely build the retaining walls without additional road or lane closures on I-40.
In the coming days, crews will begin constructing the base of a temporary bridge across the Pigeon River and building a haul road to the 33-acre extraction site. Once crews are able to access the site, the rock removal and processing will begin for reconstruction of I-40.
“We will proceed with this phase of construction with strict adherence to the construction plans and permit requirements,” NCDOT Division 14 Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said. “We have the goal of minimizing impacts to natural resources while fully restoring the transportation services on I-40.”
