Part of I-40 in western NC to open by March; more federal support for Helene Recovery
This announcement comes after a visit by the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy surveyed Helene Recovery in the area.
'Today, I am pleased to announce that we will reopen two lanes of I-40 by March 1,' Governor Stein said in the statement, 'I am proud of NCDOT's focus on this challenge and the roadworkers who have worked tirelessly to reopen roads and keep people safe. Reopening these lanes will help reconnect North Carolina and Tennessee and allow us to welcome back visitors to bolster the economy.'
During Secretary Duffy's visit, he announced that the USDOT and U.S. Forest Services have partnered their efforts to help USDOT obtain a 'special use' permit to use rock from Forest Service land to extract materials.
This partnership will allow the N.C. Department of Transportation to get construction materials from nearby rivers in western N.C. instead of transporting them from 20 to 50 miles away. This permit is a commonsense solution to reduce the time it would take to rebuild the highway and significantly cut down on costs
'President Trump directed me to build infrastructure faster, better, and more affordably,' said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. 'That is why, when we recently identified a path to reduce I-40's construction costs and timeline by as much as two-thirds of the original Biden-era estimate, I immediately asked my team what we could do to help. Today's announcement will help ensure we deliver this critical project more efficiently for the American people. Too often, the federal government creates obstacles that slow recovery and drive up costs. This time, we're cutting through those burdensome barriers to get the job done, ensuring USDOT's full support for our state partner's success every step of the way throughout this project.'
The federal government will continue to work alongside state and local officials to provide resources and aid to help the western N.C. community recover.
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