Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Monday that work will begin next week on a temporary fix for the damage Tropical Storm Helene did to Interstate 40 at the Tennessee-North Carolina line.
Nearly three miles of eastbound I-40 were destroyed by Helene.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Lee said Tennessee has received tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to go with state money to make repairs. The road likely won't be fully repaired until at least 2025.
He said there's a lot of work to be done, but significant work is happening.
"This particular stretch of highway is incredibly important not only for Tennessee for the people that come - that drive in and out of Tennessee - but it's important for North Carolina because the repairs that have to be made on the North Carolina side of I-40 will have to be delivered through Tennessee," Lee said.
He said work on the temporary fix will begin at the end of next week.
"Already under contract, already underway as you can see work being done to turn this interstate at least into a two-way traffic road temporarily until permanent fixes are made, but a lot of work being done, very hopeful, very collaborative, and we won't stop until we get it done," Lee said. "It is tragic that we've lost as much life as we have here, but it is a blessing that there was no one lost on this highway stretch."