HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — With heavy rainfall expected in the mountains in the coming days, it begs the question: How is infrastructure in Western North Carolina – including roads and bridges – going to hold up?
On Monday, Feb. 10, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Secretary Joey Hopkins addressed the media while surveying a Helene-damaged portion of I-40.
Hopkins said the department will monitor potential flooding not just in typical flood-prone areas, but ones that have new landscapes after Hurricane Helene.
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“After Helene, the terrain has changed,” Hopkins said. “We may now have flooding where we have never had flooding before. That would impact us, slow us down and cost additional resources.”
Hopkins said temporary bridges and roads that have been reopened since Helene could be also impacted, so these structures will be monitored.
He added that rain and freezing temperatures could impede on the NCDOT’s ability to visit sites that still require assistance.