ASHEVILLE, NC – Part of a major interstate connecting western North Carolina with eastern Tennessee flooded during the devastating flooding that hit Helene, and officials are unsure when the highway will reopen.

Photos from the scene showed several lanes of Interstate 40 washed out among the mountainous terrain and drivers were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said I-40 was closed in multiple locations between Asheville and eastern Tennessee due to spills and debris.

No one was reportedly injured in the collapse zone, and transportation authorities did not provide an estimated time frame for recovery.

The agency warned drivers that “all roads in western North Carolina should be considered closed.”

A “dangerous rescue” rescued dozens of people trapped on the roof of a flooded Tennessee hospital

The remnants of Hurricane Helene dumped devastating wind gusts and heavy rain across the Tar Heel State on Friday.

Observation sites in the western part of the state recorded one to two feet of rainfall, which flooded roads and flooded towns.

In nearby Erwin, Tennessee, floodwaters surrounded a hospital, forcing staff and patients to seek higher ground until helicopters rescued them.

At least two deaths were reported in North Carolina on Friday evening, and officials expected more deaths as they continued assessments in the hardest-hit communities.

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Interstate 40 is a major east-west artery that runs through eight states from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Barstow, California.

According to Google Maps, with the interstate closed, the best alternative was to use Interstates 81 and 26, which added an additional 50 miles to the trip.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has not yet commented publicly on the funds it might make available to NCDOT officials for highway repairs.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he receives regular updates from the hardest-hit states.

“We are receiving regular updates from state partners on infrastructure damage in Helene and at the many airports impacted by poor conditions,” Buttigieg said Friday.

Damage on Interstate 40 is similar to the landslide that destroyed State Highway 22 around Jackson, Wyoming, over the summer.

There was no one on the highway when it collapsed, but detours continued for almost three weeks until emergency repairs were completed.

Original article source: Interstate 40 partially collapsed after devastating rains in North Carolina