I-40 traffic warning to anyone in the TN/NC area

[nc43bsa]

A new bridge will be built in NC near the TN line (I-40 exit 7), prompting traffic to be diverted at an interstate exit. Alternate routes are suggested in the area.

https://www.wbir.com/mobile/article/news/local/travel-alert-i-40-bridge-construction-starts-this-weekend-near-tn-nc-line-expected-to-take-at-least-6-months/51-93ca47cf-a71b-45e8-b3c1-36fb8935c39e

[Ncdan]

A new bridge will be built in NC near the TN line (I-40 exit 7), prompting traffic to be diverted at an interstate exit. Alternate routes are suggested in the area.

https://www.wbir.com/mobile/article/news/local/travel-alert-i-40-bridge-construction-starts-this-weekend-near-tn-nc-line-expected-to-take-at-least-6-months/51-93ca47cf-a71b-45e8-b3c1-36fb8935c39e

Thanks for the information 👍

[nc43bsa]

If memory serves, this is the 3rd time I-40 has been closed or reduced at Exit 7 in the last 5 years.

I thought the NCDOT had it fixed.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

any 'alternate route' would add hours to the crossing. 

Last time it was shut down you had to just exit there, go down the ramp, and right up the on-ramp to bypass the bridge. Delays were minimal.  A lot of traffic flows thru there of course, but it's not like a gridlock situation, you are pretty much out in the boonies.  Mostly slowed down for the semis coming to a stop and then getting back up to speed.

I commuted from Asheville to E.TN (jefferson city) for a year via 40. That was miserable (but a beautiful drive on the days I wasnt thru before the sun came up).

[cliffrod]

We drove round trip over the mountain to Jefferson City and back to SC last weekend..  If it's the exit/bridge where I noticed the DOT staging, it should be a straightforward off & on detour and be less bad than many of the typical I-40 disruptions. 

After decades of rough pavement, construction and delays, that mountain pass of I-40 is more consistently nice than it has ever been.   Wildlife hazards are greater than ever.  Many more deer now and there was a freshly hit large black bear on Sat AM not far into TN.  It's the second bear fatality that I've seen in 2 yrs in the same area. 

[Wayne Orwig]

Alternate route?

Right. Years ago I came across a poor guy in a van that tried the Old Cataloochee Turnpike as it is called. A rock had punched a hole in his oil pan.

[nc43bsa]

IIRC, the last time that bridge was closed to traffic the NCDOT changed the on/off ramps so the I-40 thru-traffic didn't stop at the bottom of the ramp, but the Cold Springs Creek Road traffic did.  There was a 35 mph speed limit, however.