Contact: First Sergeant Jeff Gordon, State Highway Patrol
Date: January 31, 2012
Phone: (919) 733-5027

All Lanes Closed on I-40 Westbound, Near Mile Marker 24, West of Asheville

 

RALEIGH – All westbound lanes of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee/North Carolina state line have been closed due to a rock slide that occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m., Tuesday, January 31. All westbound lanes of travel are closed beginning at Exit 24 (near NC 209) just west of Asheville in Haywood County and continue into the State of Tennessee. The location of the rock slide is in Tennessee near exit 451. Motorists are being advised to stay alert and cautious.

Due to the lane closures, motorists traveling westbound on I-40 should use the alternate route below:

Westbound traffic travelling to Tennessee should take I-40 West to I-240 West (Exit 53b) in Asheville, then to I-26 West (Exit 4a). Follow I-26 West from Asheville to I-81 South

(Exit 8a) into Tennessee and back into I-40.

Eastbound traffic is currently unaffected by the rock slide.

According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, removal and clean-up is expected to take at least 2-weeks.

Motorists can access updated roadway information by accessing the North Carolina Department of Transportation's “Traveler Information Management System (TIMS) by accessing the following link: http://tims.ncdot.gov/tims/default.aspx. In addition, motorists may call 511 on the cellular phone. 511 uses an automated voice response system, which means callers are guided through a menu with a series of requests. Callers can ask for a specific area, and the system will provide information about traffic incidents, closures, and other important roadway conditions.