My brother is working for the engineering firm and doing soil and rock drilling in the riverbed so they can build a mile long retaining wall along 140. He says its the worst drilling conditions in his 45 years of core drilling. Mad respect for all the workers.
W. Virginia miners are heroes in my book. They are examples of what Americans are about. They saw a need and sprang into action to help neighbors. Thank you!
As a former truck driver who used to pound the crap out of that section of I-40, I agree with the idea of moving it. It was to say the least, a handful for semi trucks to travel on and I too was affected by the 2009 rockslide, having to run way out of route to get to I-75. Naturally, this would probably be a decades long project, but would be well worth it in the end.
Kudos to the miners who did this work. Taking the initiative and putting their energy into good works. And props to the govt agencies who let them do the much-needed work.
So refreshing to hear someone else acknowledge that things get done when both the government resources and private citizens work together. I am so sick of all the government bashing and grandstanding about citizen volunteers.
@@gottasay4766Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), North Carolina Department of Transportation and thr local Sheriff's office visited the site but turned a blind eye to the unsanctioned build." Direct quote. So government did..nothing..and things got done. Unless you're saying doing nothing..is in fact, doing something..by not doing anything. Also..a reminder that the government **is** "private citizens..the people..and no special privileges or rights are conveyed other than those enumerated in their respective constitutions or charters.
@@Live.Vibe.Lasers Doing nothing means that the officials didn't stop the work because it wouldn't meet construction codes. The codes are in place for a reason, but when an emergency arises, shortcuts may need to be taken. FEMA and other govenment agencies have limited resources and can't be everywhere. That doesn't mean they are doing nothing.
@@rickbrewer8507 I don't argue that FEMA or especially the NC and TN National Guard aren't doing anything..they are. But realize FEMA doesn't actually *do* anything. They're an administrative agency with a mandate from Congress to administer money and resources that Congress provides. Most of the 23,000 employees are in office buildings processing forms. It's not like an FEMA employee on a FEMA bulldozer is out there builidng the roads.
@@Live.Vibe.Lasers You certainly read that wrong. What I read was, "Looks like you have it covered. Don't stop now." Sounded to me like they're satisfied with the progress and felt there was no reason to intervene.
Thanks Casey. I was hoping you would do an update soon. That section of road was extremely difficult to drive, especially going down the mountain into North Carolina. I can see where a different route would be preferable, but getting this section open is important. Appreciate you highlighting the WV folks and others helping to restore access. Helping others out of the goodness of their hearts is what this country is all about.
Hi, my name is Winston. I live in Asheville and was here for the entire hurricane flooding everything it’s been really intense and pretty awesome to see the community pull together. I’ve been amazed and humbled at how much coverage has been given to the challenges in our neck of the woods. Keep up the good work and thank you.
Samaritan's purse is doing a good job here in the hardest hit areas. I saw about 20 of their people clearing debris from the roads and bridges. Visible progress is being made on a daily basis in Avery County.
My sister-in-law who works there has been very busy keeping all the workers fed. With a few hours of training, anybody can help clean up, but SP does so much more. They bring in the logistics to bootstrap civilization where all the infrastructure is gone. For example, they have a small fleet of cargo aircraft that were airlifting supplies to Charlotte while all the major roads were closed.
Ther is a huge difference in a temporary repair for access and a permanent fix. There will be massive amounts of construction in this area that will tax every aspect of labour, machinery and access. The road repair and accesss will take years regardless of how it is done.
@@farmerthatflies absolutely and it kills the Joe, Biden administration, and Roy Cooper do you give them any credit or anything? They never mention them and thank them
Interstate 40 has been closed multiple times, including in 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2019, due to rock slides in Tennessee and North Carolina. That stretch of Interstate 40 includes tight curves and narrow tunnels. I'm a commercial driver, and the speed limit is reduced for trucks, but truck drivers often exceed it. Building a bypass through terrain that is easier to navigate safely and is not prone to closures due to flooding and rock slides would be best.
Thank you for this! I always appreciate the remarks of a great engineer. Good on the West Virginia Boys for getting after it for the benefit of their neighbors.
I'm glad those West Virginia took the initiative to build that stretch of road. Obviously it's only a stopgap, but while it lasts it serves a vital purpose to those who haven't been able to return to their homes. At least they can go back and have a boots on the ground " now what ?"
I wonder what percentage of those homes and businesses will be rebuilt on questionable terrain and imposing floodplains. Can't imagine insurance companies issuing policies unless rates are increased over 100 percent to maintain their parent company's demand for profit. Many companies have already left states like California, Florida and other states that haven't the news draw. Maybe our society gives up insurance to live as they choose !?!? Thats a worthy question. We, as a country, can't continue underwriting excessive liabilty through taxes. And I am a liberal environmental advocate...I can't afford the outragous auto insurance rates. Engineers are part of the problem, creating liabilities and insurwnce needs at the state level with questionable retrofits....and feds nodding in concert. Come on, lets design (and live) with Nature, not against it.
Some homeowners have already decided not to rebuild in the flooded areas of NC. Many of the lower lying areas had rental properties on them including RV lots and mobile homes. Most likely those areas will be condemned and not open to rebuild. Also, a number of rivers and creek beds have shifted which is also causing rebuild problems too. There's a neighborhood in NC that lost homes and now a river runs through their property. They're pretty sure that the state is not going to replace or even repay them for their land without a legal battle. They're just not going to rebuild because it wasn't necessarily their primary home in a number of cases.
@@patrickrussell1888 Regular home insurance policies do not cover flood damage or landslide damage. Few people in western North Carolina had flood insurance coverage from the federal flood insurance program, so the insurance companies and the federal flood insurance are not going to pay for much of the damage there. In a few places covered by videos, there were 150-year-old houses that were built well above the flood plain and survived well, but homes built in the last 50 years were destroyed in the flood plain. I hope that they will not rebuild in the vulnerable areas.
Anyone who 5:05 has worked in emergency/disaster response understands that in many situations there are not enough public resources to repair everything quickly. It is essential for the public to help. As long as it’s safe they won’t stop this assistance. Everyone wants their situation addressed early, but the reality is things like this take time. It sucks if you are at the end of the line but that’s the reality.
"but the reality is things like this take time" In the sand, we built a city for 5000 people in a week. Mess halls, hospital, sleeping quarters with A/C.... there are people in NC still sleeping in tents. Time isn't the issue here.
@@Plutogalaxy See, there it is, you really have no idea what we're capable of. We have habitation units, sleeps 4, has HVAC, can be dropped in by a helo. We have these things that look like tanks, they unfold like a transformer into a bridge a tank can drive over. These are just TWO of the items sitting in warehouses that aren't being used to help these people. They're left to sleep in tents waiting for coal miners to come build bridges to their communities. Great job! We can, and have, done this in ANY ENVIRONMENT IN THE WORLD IN A WEEK. We're not making a serious effort here.
During Hugo our neighborhood literally chainsawed the fallen trees so they were passable. This is normal during big disasters. The government is absolutely in the tail-end risk business, but as the tail-end risk becomes the "more likely to happen" risk, community will have to come together to plug the gaps.
Land acquisition in the wider and shallower alternative route may be prohibitive. They chose this I40 route probably because fewer people had to be relocated.
There is also the question of how much influence Biltmore put into the project. But anything saying it was political is, quite honestly, mostly a conspiracy theory. We shall see.
@@jeffreysachs3423 Yes, and there was also extensive damage from the storm along the French Broad River valley, so that potential route might not be much better than the present I-40 route. The town of Marshall was almost entirely destroyed by the flooding of the French Broad River where the valley narrows.
Thank you for this update, Casey. It is easy to be critical of citizen helpers and official providers of services following such a major catastrophy. Credit is due to all who offer well-inentioned assistance. It is best to keep personal political commentary out of the dialog and to focus on the community needs in the current situation. I appreciate your insights that touch on all aspects of what needs to be considered in such technical projects from bridges to buildings and more. Thank you.
So winter sets in less than 30 days. Heating, shelter, water, access to health care from Halloween throughout winter to spring thaw? Schools, groceries, medicine, mail?
I had never been in western North Carolina until last year when I drove I-40 from Tennessee into Asheville. My impression at the time was that it was like falling into a hole. It's just down, down, down for 50 miles.
The West Virginia Boys did do a great job establishing a link between Chimney Rock and Bat Cave. But I would caution to declare it "open". From the available drone footage, it is a narrow dirt/gravel path not suitable for regular cars. But with a truck or offroad vehicle you can navigate it.
Thanks to the W VA Boys? That is a beautiful part on our state! I know the people that live in that area are thankful! Thanks for sending TH-cam proceeds to Samaritan’s Purse! I sent them a substantial contribution right after the event!😊
TDOT just reopened I-26 in Erwin. It is only one lane each way and wide loads over 12 feet are prohibited. This was the southbound bridge. They are going to completely repair the northbound lanes, then shift the traffic over to it while they rebuild the southbound lanes.
@@young11984 Yes. That said, lover's leap will have it's own access off the main road, so I was told. THe road is being straightened and widened to 4 lane in an epic reshaping of the terrain. I just rode through there today, amazed by it all.
NCDOT needs to take advantage of this to either significantly raise or shift the I40 corridor to the French Broad River Pass into North Carolina its alot easier for Road building or to put in a series of Viaduct Bridges similar to the Linville Viaduct and get it out the Pigeon River by elevated roads.. It would probably cost up to $180 million per mile to Build all new infrastructure
@@jonathanray83 The French Broad River has a narrow section also and major flooding there would have destroyed any highway not built for the level of flooding in this storm. Viaduct bridges are expensive in the beginning but might be cost effective over decades.
Samaritan's purse was a good choice, they are a major international charity but based up in the WNC mountains, this is homes turf for them. If i can give some inside baseball from NC, I-40 will not be moved. I-26 is being extended North of Asheville (what your image at 10:45 shows is in fact "future I-26" currently US 19/23). We wont spend the money to have two interstates that close, and the environmental damage of following the river too extreme. The Idea of raising I-40 via viaduct is interesting and I'll take it to my contacts. the comment that I-40 will be open in 2025 is just for two lanes, one each way, not "fully." NCDOT's website, the same you showed, has the reopened scheduled for Dec 31, 2099, obviously a placeholder, but clear it's not going to be soon. Every other closure is 1 year or less. But I-40 will be a bear.
The "West Virginia Boys" did a fantastic job! and they deserve all the praise for their work! But what they built is really a temporary road, 1 lane wide. This gives access to areas that were cut off, and is a massive help to the locals. This section is not really open to the general public. This is for local and EMS traffic. It will take a lot more work to widen it to 2 lanes and bring it back up to highway standards.
Let me be clear, as a resident of North Carolina for the last 30 years, these kind of washouts are not uncommon. I would propose that any repairs that are done, be considered temporary and then a more permanent solution be found.
It's not just washouts. I've been stuck for hours on that section of I-40 due to a wreck. What a lot of people don't realize is that there's literally no way around (or back). The highway is divided with barriers, there are spots where exits are many miles apart, and the exits don't connect to roads leading anywhere outside the area, so I-40 is the only road to anywhere not local.
@@GideonMesser, I agree with you 100%. This is a 1960s road that needs a 2025 solution, with access roads, crossovers, and lights. The road also needs to be four lanes each way to accommodate crossovers in case of accidents.
I was in Europe for the last two months and I can say they are not shy about building massive tunnels when needed for rail and road and pedestrian combined as needed. They seem so much more creative in moving stuff through the mountains. Hope all this infrastructure gets built higher and more reinforced as this won't be the last time.
Hi Casey you might not cover roads overseas but if you were interested we had State Highway 25 washed out during a weather event, they predicted it to take years to rebuild and there was talk of that part of New Zealand being cut off permanently due to increasing weather events. I believe there is time lapse footage showing the work.
The sheriff was one of the officials. However, unlike FEMA bureaucrats, he is directly accountable to the people at the next election so it's not surprising that common sense prevailed.
@@robertjune1221 In thinly populated rural counties like that, the Sheriff is usually the most important/influential elected politician in the county. If the Sheriff is Ok with what they are doing, it's not the job of the state or federal authorities to halt locally sanctioned disaster mitigation efforts
It is my understanding that the mountain region of NC, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina, as well as, Virginia, and Kentucky, had already received several days of rain before Helene. The result was immediate and catastrophic flooding and land slides. My sister lives north of Ashville, 5 miles east of Weaverville. The warnings to seek higher ground were sent out after communications were down. She was lucky. She got communication back after about 10 days, and her power was restored on day 17. Trees down and some damage to outbuildings occurred. Her small community cut the trees off the roads in 2 days. According to the national weather service, some areas around Mt. Mitchell received over 30 inches from Helene. Power companies in western NC alone estimate 6800 miles of line down, with many completely washed away. There are still many areas that are only accessible by helicopter or mule trains or foot. The death toll continues to rise with literally thousands unaccounted for. My nephew lived near Chimney Rock. His home was flooded, but the 6 homes within sight of his no longer exist. He doesn't know if they were home. This is, and will be, an ongoing catastrophe. Thank you.
Without a valid source your info is worthless due to all the misinformation that's been put out. Officials are stating the death toll has been greatly overexagerated. If you know of someone missing call your local police or sheriff's office to report so a proper search can begin. Please, make sure what you report is the truth and can be validated, verified. Don't add to misinformation. It doesn't help, only hinders. Thank you.
After walking through the debris fields the fact that as people we’re still saying things such as rerouting the river & roads like we can stop nature when it decides to come alive. Powerful enough to let you watch literal mountains move, but we can stop it next time.
I'm deeply interested in how they are going about fixing this stretch, surprised there isn't a new youtube channel dedicated to a bi-weekly update report of this project.
Phillip Prince over at TheGeoModels has an excellent series of videos where he goes into detail about how the geology and topography of these areas made the flooding and landslides here so bad. Definitely worth a visit to his channel if you want to familiarize yourself with the geologic context of this event.
I agree with Desantis, the federal government is bureaucratic and slow. All it can do is award contracts to the people that's going to do the job, hopefully using locals.
FEMA is not even set up by law to do the work. I think that's what most people don't understand. There is no Walmart style logistics for food and water, there is no construction army. FEMA does assessments then provides money to state and local entitiesb based on those assessments. And I have no problem with the government looking the other way in an emergency. Emergencies are about triaging and getting stuff done. You want that kind of government not that firefighter who went on a power trip with that helicopter rescue.
If you are watching the US House of Representatives, controlled by the GOP, FEMA will be put out of business if Musk gets his way, to cut the federal budget by TWO TRILLION $$$ FEMA can't continue to bankroll poor choices and local lackness.
Its a sad day when it takes us that long to get things done. I went to Nicaragua after the hurricane in 99. Over 20 inches of and mud slides. We get there 90 days after and they had 90 miles of road rebuilt and paved and most small bridges were done. Here it takes us years to get things done with all the equipment available.
The fact that I-40 should never have been placed through Haywood County is what I’ve always heard from older folks. I believe the original design was to take it up along the current route of I-26 north of Asheville.
Hi Casey 👋 thanks for the update! Your infrastructure videos are very educational and informative. Hoping that things start to improve in North Carolina
I've travelled I-40 through NC to Tennessee many times. It is a bit scary, Especially in heavy rain and snow. Night travel through there will increase the pucker factor for sure. The Pigeon river isn't very wide through there, and that narrow width acted like a venturi, increasing the force of the flow.
The rumor, if you can call it that, is that the route of I 40 was pushed through by a local politician some 60 years ago. It was always considered the least desirable route for the highway and there have been numerous problems over the years. I live in WNC and drive I 40 every day to the Fines Creek exit and am pleased that it's open that far for local traffic. The problem with I 40 is simple: It should never have been built on that route--it is geologically unstable even without the terrible flooding we just experienced. Re-routing is a great idea but would be ridiculously expensive.
Stupid question: During World War 2, my uncle was a combat engineer. He installed "Bailey bridges" in combat areas. I don't understand why such bridges aren't used in areas that have been damaged by natural disasters.
the modern bailey bridge is the "medium girder bridge". Army bridging companies do get deployed for hurricane response, but I think the capacity is pretty limited.
Of course, the road should be moved, but they'll put something in place temporarily and if it holds up they'll get somebody to add to it and call it repaired and then separate themselves from legal responsibility if it fails.
Existing I-40 has to be fixed first. It will take years to design the new section, acquire property, hire contractors and build the road. Plus, you can be sure there will be opposition every step of the way so I expect there will be no new section of I-40 for 10 to 20 years at least.
Last Thursday I took 64 / 74 eastbound from Cleveland TN to Cullowhee NC, much of the truck traffic is traveling way too fast. Not long after passing the first Ocoee Dam, a truck was carrying a crushed truck cab west out of the gorge. Not far down the road you could see where the truck had crashed into the cliff side.
@0:37 The map you showed of road closures may give a very wrong impression of the extent of post-Helene road closures in North Carolina. NC has been engaged in an extensive program of bridge replacements for at least the past 15 years, so east of the far western mountain region, most of those road closures are almost certainly due to a _scheduled_ bridge replacement, and occasionally some other major work, such as replacing a crossroad intersection with a roundabout. In the area to the east of Charlotte, over a 70 mile stretch that I drive frequently, and on adjoining roads a few miles on either side, there have probably been 10-12 bridges replaced over the past 15 years such that at any one time, there has usually been a bridge in the area that I know of, being replaced. .... I suspect that many are being performed by the same contractor and crew moving from job to job. Given that I only frequently drive around a relatively small part of the state, the road closures marked on that map are consistent with the ongoing program of bridge replacements across the state.
Very interesting video. I’d be very interested to hear you talk about repairs to the CSX Railroad Blue Ridge Division (former Clinchfield) between Spruce Pine, NC and Erwin, TN. Huge sections of the track and right-of-way were wiped out by the flooding, including a 7 section, 600+ foot bridge over the Nolichucky River. It seems the only possible access to some of these areas will be to work from the river bed.
They've had rock cars in town in Spruce Pine for the past couple days, looks like they came in from the East though I'm not sure how they got there... They must have worked at breakneck speed to get the North Cove and Altapass sections passable. My guess is they'll be working their way into the middle from both the Erwin and Spruce Pine ends.
5:51 The states first PDP was awarded Oct 2. The progressive build contract model emerged in response to challenges, particularly in sectors where projects are complex and subject to change, such as infrastructure and mining.
Thank You For This Video. It helped me understand what the State Governments Of Tennessee,And,North Carolina are doing to get traffic moving as soon as possible! I,do agree possible rerouting may be necessary for portions of these routes. Thank Goodness for these private companies,and, individuals expediting the rebuilding process! Especially The West Virginia Boys!
People don't understand that FEMA doesn't do the work directly themselves. They instead focus on prevention remodeling and pre-orginizing with locals to get any needed work done like providing vans and buses for evacuation and work crews for recovery. The US Army also sent in 2 airborne units of 1000 troops each to help with cleanup, along with a dozen vtol craft which mostly is CH-47s. What you will see of FEMA in field is mostly in the form of paperwork to get cash handouts and other things, as well as business cards for contacting. FEMA for the most part is a call center and mission control center.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has become a populist whipping boy for any and all complaints about the Federal Government. There is a deliberate misrepresentation of the mission FEMA has been given and what they have been authorized by Congress to do. FEMA does NOT have an army of workers and equipment ready to descend on every disaster site to fix everything and make everyone whole. Check out which representatives in Congress have voted to deny FEMA funding to do anything at all, much less be funded to be more effective, and you will likely be shocked to discover those politicians represent places that are prone to disaster or have had disasters where FEMA help has been critical to recovery. Easy to complain and criticize while spinning a story to whip up ignorant hatred. When disaster strikes we need everyone pulling together to help save lives and recover from the harm. Idiotic stories that have ignorant nut jobs showing up with guns to threaten or kill “FEMA” personnel supposedly confiscating resources is indescribably awful, dangerous and unhelpful. Clickbait for the easily mislead to make the one spreading the lies $$. Another kind of evil.
I remember traveling I-40 shortly after it was finished through Haywood County. I also remember the before and after of the collapse over the twin tunnels. The rock that fell was basically directly over the edge of the west bound tunnel. I guess that it was EASILY several hundred cubic feet of rock that slid off there. I wish I had a before and after picture, but I can probably draw it in if I tried. I do remember traveling in a bus from Asheville to Knoxville to visit my sister who was there with her husband to finish their college work. The clean-up had barely started. They had a shed/house on the rock to help people notice the landslide and not run into it. Then, they had west bound traffic going through the east bound tunnel, and a two-lane temporary road (that looks like it finally got washed away in the flooding) going around the outside for east bound traffic. From the mid-90's and on, the level of people coming from the west has gotten high enough that having only 2 lanes on I-40 has become a bad thing. They have been building some new bridges at the entrance, literally 5 or so miles from Exit 20. This incident has given us a chance to review this roadway. I sincerely hope that they are able to build it back better. And by that I mean 3 lanes both ways. With it well out of the valley. But that may be an engineering feet that won't happen due to the need for speed just to get ANYTHING open.
I was under 16, so that slide happened in the mid to late 80's. I've looked it up before, but I don't remember the details. There have been at least 3-5 major slides through there since it was finished, and this is the second or third time that the road has washed out. I know that it would be better to have this road in a better place. But in the meantime, we have a high-speed tail of the dragon to enjoy! ;)
Report: residents affected by helene thankful for and blessed by kindness of strangers. Also, many are relieved that RIDOT and alviti were not involved with post storm road work.
This is one of the worst stretches of US interstate in the country. Got caught in a traffic jam in there about 2007 for over 6+ hours. I went in about 8PM and got out about 3AM ......we were so locked in that people were having medical emergencies and had no way out. Soon ambiances were swarming in from Ashville to rescue people who could not exit nor seek assistance. The culprit? a very small bridge repair in NC diversion to a 2 mile merge to one lane that was on hiatus during the Christmas season, but they did leave the blinking caution lights on. So they were thinking of safety. It was unfathomable that NCDOT did that, or no one got fired for it. I still will never forget it.....never.
Casey, On a good day that section of I-40 is one the scariest roads I have driven. It is narrow and lined with concrete "Jersy" barriers. To get from Southwest Virginia to Asheville I prefer I-26. I know East Tennessee was badly damaged by Helene. If I were a Tennessee or North Carolina DoT decision maker I would focus on opening I-26. It is tough to figure out which is worse cleaning up a major oil spill or the damage left by Helene. I think I would choose the oil spill. Bob
Check out the drone video made by Storm Chaser Aaron Rigby who flew over the new road built by the West Virginia miners. It is a very temporary road on gravel piled next to the river. Good for people and trucks to get access to Bat Cave and Chimney Rock until the next storm hits, but nothing like a permanent solution.
Let's keep in mind that West Virginia boys didn't rebuild the road. They made a dirt road alongside of where the road used to be. They didn't put asphalt or anything else. It's just a dirt road. When they talk about opening I-40 they're talking about the two lanes that one destroyed and making it one lane in each direction. Not two lanes in both directions like it was before.
@@CaseyJones-Engineer not what was said. jss is just clarifying what the Post article said in a misleading way. The highway wasn't rebuilt; just a dirt road to provide vehicle access again, which itself is a worthy feat considering the sheer amount of damage.
@@CaseyJones-Engineer Don't know where that came from. It would be as though someone asked, "So are you saying we don't need engineers to build a road?"
I just returned from the area. The supposed "highway" built by the 'West Va Boys' is not a highway. It is a single lane dirt path, passable to smaller vehicles, open only to area residents. Good on them for getting access for these people, but any claims that the 'highway' is 'open' are false. Also, Interstates 26 West (north) of Asheville was closed at exit 3 on Sunday but appears to be open. The signs leaving Asheville today (Wednesday) say "expect delays going west on 26' rather than "closed at Exit 3". HWY 74 west of Asheville to Canton, Waynesville, Sylva, Cherokee is open and fine. Light traffic there Wednesday afternoon.
In some places this dirt path will require a 4WD to get up. "Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby" TH-cam channel has very recent drone footage of this road if anyone wants to see it.
Just returned today from the area. Life is quickly getting back to normal around Asheville and in Henderson county. In fact, I thought the destruction would be a lot worse. And kudos to the WV boys.
@@charleyelefante Good evening. Just watching the footage of the devastation is bad enough. I’m certain that as the cleanup continues, there will be many more issues that will need to be addressed. Honestly, I’m concerned about all of the hazardous waste that inadvertently escaped from the flooding. I’m down in Augusta, GA. Most of our damage seemed to be from fallen trees. The night the hurricane hit, I was woken up by the sounds of trees falling all around. Things are still far from “normal” here, so I can only imagine what y’all are experiencing. Take care Charley👍🏻
@@charleyelefante I do disaster relief work. Personally, I think they got off lightly and have to prepare for much worse ahead. (If a house is still standing, I'm happy.) Over 95% of the homes I saw were just fine when you look at the region as a whole. And personally, I blame the fossil fuel industry for their misinformation and lobbying that prevented taking climate change into account when they built the infrastructure in the first place. After all, I've known about global warming since 1971! And so has the government. And when you live so far from town, you have to plan of isolation. Those many roads I traveled were more like paths where not even fire trucks could make it up those mountains. Too many switchbacks! So shame on them for ever approving all those thousands of homes in the first place. The property owners built for isolation, and they got it. But those in the backwoods also brought this on themselves. All my humble opinion, of course, but based on what I saw. Thx.
I personally rebuilt 2 miles of state road right after the storm. It was over a month before DOT made it down here. It was a real gut punch for everyone. So much destroyed!
Thank you for this content. There is certainly no lack of ROCK to use in the rebuilding process, and these badly damaged portions of highway should also have some PROTECTION built for those most vulnerable areas... not that they will be tested again for 100 years or more.
I used to live in North Carolina and also at 1 time I was a trucker that drove 40 frequently. I 40 really needs to be rerouted elsewhere in Western NC and Eastern TN. I hope that this will be expedited early next year. It may take 10 years to complete a reroute and hopefully also widening to at least 6-8 lanes but It really should be a top priority of both NC, TN and the US Government.
I remember as a young truck driver I used to look forward to cruising I-40 through eastern TN and NC........ Later, I wised up and realized that I had an unhealthy lust for excitement....
And I'm willing to bet substantial money that the West Virginia boys managed to get that project done at a fraction of the cost that the government would have spent.
There are so many places I-40 and I-26 are washed out or blocked by landslides that it's going to take months to repair and reopen. Don't forget they have secondary roads in the same condition to repair. They simply don't have the manpower to survey, engineer, and construct a different route for I-40. Those poor men are overwhelmed as it is. I'm certain they're working 12 hour days 7 days a week. Thank God for private citizens like the "West Virginia Boys," doing the impossible, performing miracles in big ways to help the residents rebuild from the devestation caused by Helene. Especially since the Federal government appears to have turned their backs when help is needed the most. Fema is a joke!!! I don't know of a single person who has been approved to receive assistance for their loses here in Greenville South Carolina. The website states they'll give $750 to help with food loses, property damage, chain saw purchase, tree removal, etc.. Assistance is needed now, especially the elderly on fixed incomes. Fema needs to be investigated. If necessary restructure, replace the ones in charge. They have failed us.
The cynic in me can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t be better to just finish 26 through Asheville and reroute 40 alongside it to 81. If I recall, there is only one exit from Exit 27 to the TN line. The current route was chiseled onto the side of a mountain and is closed seemingly every three or four years.
Someone please explain why FEMA did not have temporary housing trailers going to the disaster relief the next day. We have poor hurting people living in tents instead of FEMA housing trailers.
@@CaseyJones-Engineer Hello! WNC lifelong local here and 911 dispatcher of 21 years. There is a large problem with this story. It’s not true. You can find articles with interviews from the Henderson County Sheriff that are addressing this rumor/bad info. NC DOT, primarily made up of workers from all over Western NC and contractors from all over Western NC - many that have lost their homes but have been working around the clock to get temporary roads into communities and work on the main roads - as well as partners from DOT and other contractors, have spent the last 4 weeks building a solid and sturdy temporary roads. They are going to have to hold up and last throughout the rebuilding of new roads which is going to take time. They have built one going into Chimney Rock, and one going into Bat Cave. They are currently in the process of connecting them. First an excess of debris had to be moved and trees had to be cleared. They are plotting the roads based on survey data taken before the Helene hit, are trying to stay in the state right of way but are compensating families for land when they cannot. They have been putting in solid temporary roads as quickly as they can because opening larger corridors of aid has been a primary objective that the Army Corps of Engineers is also involved in. The permanent roads are going to take over a year to build because the river has to be redirected back to its original path first. This group of guys from West Virginia came into help anyway they could, like many. They have been in the Bat Cave area and they have cleared debris and helped families with their private driveways. Based on what I have seen so far it appears one went rogue and started roughly and improperly scraping in a road between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock. He carved through private land without a second thought, and without speaking to landowners. This resulted in confrontations with landowners. He scraped in part of a useless road on incredibly unstable ground before being stopped and had a confrontation with local DOT workers. He was asked to leave the areas and has since been spreading lies. The story of the “West Virginia Boys” was originated on social media. Every post said something different. One claim: They allegedly took it upon themselves to build the road when they heard that it was going to take the DOT a year to put the temporary road in. This is a lie. DOT never said this. It will take at least a year to rebuild the permanent road. Another Claim: They put in a 1 mile stretch of temporary road to Chimney Rock in one week and just finished it. Laughable lie. That was all NC DOT. That was locals working around the clock to restore access and the amount of trees and debris that had to be cleared first was mind boggling. They still got it mainly carved in over 2 weeks ago. You can find video of the 101st Airborne rolling a full convoy into Chimney Rock, complete with power company bucket trucks, over 2 weeks ago thanks to our DOT. They have done a lot of work to make sure the road is stable, secure and is going to hold up since. Next Claim: They put in a 2.7 mile stretch of temporary road in 3 days from the Bat Cave side. How are people falling for this? They are not from here. They do not know the area. They do not know property lines and they are engineers or people who construct roads. The next claim is that they finished connecting the road between the 2 communities. No, one made a mess and was ran out of town. The others are still there assisting families.
@@CaseyJones-Engineer That should be they are NOT engineers or people who know how to build roads. The amount of bad information going around is extreme and absurd. It is also harming people.
If any of you have spread lies about FEMA seizing land, something they do not have the power to do and a lie that has terrified many western North Carolinians and made them afraid of people that are trying to help provide assistance, AND you have cheered on some yahoo that took it upon himself to carve up peoples land (that has already been devastated) without bothering to talk to anyone…. Please, stop and think about your thought processes because they are not making a lick of sense.
@@pollysshore2539 Agree. Kind of interesting how Casey will spend a lot of time combing details of a DOT repair... and then turn around a literally praise complete these amateurs. 🤷🏽🤦♂️
Agree with many comments that a better location for the interstate would be welcome. We regularly drive that stretch of I-40. It would be absolutely wonderful if they rerouted it.
My brother is working for the engineering firm and doing soil and rock drilling in the riverbed so they can build a mile long retaining wall along 140. He says its the worst drilling conditions in his 45 years of core drilling. Mad respect for all the workers.
Im drilling out there to - work for SME - doing a lot of my drilling along the river for a new retaining wall
W. Virginia miners are heroes in my book. They are examples of what Americans are about. They saw a need and sprang into action to help neighbors.
Thank you!
better to act, than bitch and threaten others.
As a former truck driver who used to pound the crap out of that section of I-40, I agree with the idea of moving it. It was to say the least, a handful for semi trucks to travel on and I too was affected by the 2009 rockslide, having to run way out of route to get to I-75. Naturally, this would probably be a decades long project, but would be well worth it in the end.
Thank you for your comments. I really do hope they look at an alternative route once they get traffic restored.
Kudos to the miners who did this work. Taking the initiative and putting their energy into good works. And props to the govt agencies who let them do the much-needed work.
So refreshing to hear someone else acknowledge that things get done when both the government resources and private citizens work together. I am so sick of all the government bashing and grandstanding about citizen volunteers.
@@gottasay4766Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), North Carolina Department of Transportation and thr local Sheriff's office visited the site but turned a blind eye to the unsanctioned build."
Direct quote. So government did..nothing..and things got done. Unless you're saying doing nothing..is in fact, doing something..by not doing anything. Also..a reminder that the government **is** "private citizens..the people..and no special privileges or rights are conveyed other than those enumerated in their respective constitutions or charters.
@@Live.Vibe.Lasers Doing nothing means that the officials didn't stop the work because it wouldn't meet construction codes. The codes are in place for a reason, but when an emergency arises, shortcuts may need to be taken. FEMA and other govenment agencies have limited resources and can't be everywhere. That doesn't mean they are doing nothing.
@@rickbrewer8507 I don't argue that FEMA or especially the NC and TN National Guard aren't doing anything..they are. But realize FEMA doesn't actually *do* anything. They're an administrative agency with a mandate from Congress to administer money and resources that Congress provides. Most of the 23,000 employees are in office buildings processing forms. It's not like an FEMA employee on a FEMA bulldozer is out there builidng the roads.
@@Live.Vibe.Lasers You certainly read that wrong. What I read was, "Looks like you have it covered. Don't stop now." Sounded to me like they're satisfied with the progress and felt there was no reason to intervene.
Thanks Casey. I was hoping you would do an update soon. That section of road was extremely difficult to drive, especially going down the mountain into North Carolina. I can see where a different route would be preferable, but getting this section open is important. Appreciate you highlighting the WV folks and others helping to restore access. Helping others out of the goodness of their hearts is what this country is all about.
Thank you! I like it when people help each other out in these situations. There are many capable people out there for sure.
Hi, my name is Winston. I live in Asheville and was here for the entire hurricane flooding everything it’s been really intense and pretty awesome to see the community pull together. I’ve been amazed and humbled at how much coverage has been given to the challenges in our neck of the woods. Keep up the good work and thank you.
Glad to hear the community is pulling together, Winston. Stay safe!
Samaritan's purse is doing a good job here in the hardest hit areas.
I saw about 20 of their people clearing debris from the roads and bridges.
Visible progress is being made on a daily basis in Avery County.
Thank you!
They sure are
They had stuff staged well before the event and were ready to roll in immediately.
@ just like the NC government and national guard. Oh wait, they did nothing and sat there for a week.
My sister-in-law who works there has been very busy keeping all the workers fed. With a few hours of training, anybody can help clean up, but SP does so much more. They bring in the logistics to bootstrap civilization where all the infrastructure is gone. For example, they have a small fleet of cargo aircraft that were airlifting supplies to Charlotte while all the major roads were closed.
Getting crap done, way to go WV boys. Thank you to all the helped.
That stretch between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock is where Hwys 9, 64, and 74A run together. They later split and go their own ways.
Thank you.
Ther is a huge difference in a temporary repair for access and a permanent fix. There will be massive amounts of construction in this area that will tax every aspect of labour, machinery and access. The road repair and accesss will take years regardless of how it is done.
Excellent choice of Samaritan’s Purse!
Thank you!
Samaritans purse is an incredible organization!
@@farmerthatflies Agreed! It is one of the groups I donate too. They do a far better job than the Red Cross which gets all the glory.
@ I used to thing the Red Cross was a good organization. Not so much anymore
@@farmerthatflies absolutely and it kills the
Joe, Biden administration, and Roy Cooper do you give them any credit or anything? They never mention them and thank them
Interstate 40 has been closed multiple times, including in 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2019, due to rock slides in Tennessee and North Carolina. That stretch of Interstate 40 includes tight curves and narrow tunnels. I'm a commercial driver, and the speed limit is reduced for trucks, but truck drivers often exceed it. Building a bypass through terrain that is easier to navigate safely and is not prone to closures due to flooding and rock slides would be best.
The first major rockslide was in 1982 when the mountain slid and crushed the entrance to a westbound tunnel. It took two years to fix that
I live halfway between Knoxville and Asheville. I “never “ go to Asheville. That road is scary.
Thank you for your good reporting that isn't overly technical. I'm a complete lay-person and have learned a ton from you. Great work.
Wow, thank you so much!
I live in Unicoi Co. and I-26 one lane both East and West are going to be OPEN on Oct. 30, at about11:00 AM.
Great to hear!
Thank you for this! I always appreciate the remarks of a great engineer. Good on the West Virginia Boys for getting after it for the benefit of their neighbors.
Thank you so much!
I'm glad those West Virginia took the initiative to build that stretch of road. Obviously it's only a stopgap, but while it lasts it serves a vital purpose to those who haven't been able to return to their homes. At least they can go back and have a boots on the ground " now what ?"
I wonder what percentage of those homes and businesses will be rebuilt on questionable terrain and imposing floodplains. Can't imagine insurance companies issuing policies unless rates are increased over 100 percent to maintain their parent company's demand for profit. Many companies have already left states like California, Florida and other states that haven't the news draw. Maybe our society gives up insurance to live as they choose !?!? Thats a worthy question. We, as a country, can't continue underwriting excessive liabilty through taxes. And I am a liberal environmental advocate...I can't afford the outragous auto insurance rates. Engineers are part of the problem, creating liabilities and insurwnce needs at the state level with questionable retrofits....and feds nodding in concert. Come on, lets design (and live) with Nature, not against it.
Some homeowners have already decided not to rebuild in the flooded areas of NC. Many of the lower lying areas had rental properties on them including RV lots and mobile homes. Most likely those areas will be condemned and not open to rebuild. Also, a number of rivers and creek beds have shifted which is also causing rebuild problems too. There's a neighborhood in NC that lost homes and now a river runs through their property. They're pretty sure that the state is not going to replace or even repay them for their land without a legal battle. They're just not going to rebuild because it wasn't necessarily their primary home in a number of cases.
@@patrickrussell1888 Regular home insurance policies do not cover flood damage or landslide damage. Few people in western North Carolina had flood insurance coverage from the federal flood insurance program, so the insurance companies and the federal flood insurance are not going to pay for much of the damage there. In a few places covered by videos, there were 150-year-old houses that were built well above the flood plain and survived well, but homes built in the last 50 years were destroyed in the flood plain. I hope that they will not rebuild in the vulnerable areas.
Anyone who 5:05 has worked in emergency/disaster response understands that in many situations there are not enough public resources to repair everything quickly. It is essential for the public to help. As long as it’s safe they won’t stop this assistance.
Everyone wants their situation addressed early, but the reality is things like this take time. It sucks if you are at the end of the line but that’s the reality.
"but the reality is things like this take time"
In the sand, we built a city for 5000 people in a week. Mess halls, hospital, sleeping quarters with A/C.... there are people in NC still sleeping in tents.
Time isn't the issue here.
@@piquat1 The mountains are the issue.
@@moonmunster We did the same thing the mountains of AFG. Next lame excuse?
@@Plutogalaxy See, there it is, you really have no idea what we're capable of. We have habitation units, sleeps 4, has HVAC, can be dropped in by a helo.
We have these things that look like tanks, they unfold like a transformer into a bridge a tank can drive over.
These are just TWO of the items sitting in warehouses that aren't being used to help these people. They're left to sleep in tents waiting for coal miners to come build bridges to their communities.
Great job!
We can, and have, done this in ANY ENVIRONMENT IN THE WORLD IN A WEEK. We're not making a serious effort here.
During Hugo our neighborhood literally chainsawed the fallen trees so they were passable. This is normal during big disasters. The government is absolutely in the tail-end risk business, but as the tail-end risk becomes the "more likely to happen" risk, community will have to come together to plug the gaps.
Excellent reporting. Thanks.
You're welcome!
Bravo to the West Virginia Boys !!!
Land acquisition in the wider and shallower alternative route may be prohibitive. They chose this I40 route probably because fewer people had to be relocated.
There is also the question of how much influence Biltmore put into the project.
But anything saying it was political is, quite honestly, mostly a conspiracy theory. We shall see.
@@jeffreysachs3423 Yes, and there was also extensive damage from the storm along the French Broad River valley, so that potential route might not be much better than the present I-40 route. The town of Marshall was almost entirely destroyed by the flooding of the French Broad River where the valley narrows.
Thank you for this update, Casey. It is easy to be critical of citizen helpers and official providers of services following such a major catastrophy.
Credit is due to all who offer well-inentioned assistance.
It is best to keep personal political commentary out of the dialog and to focus on the community needs in the current situation.
I appreciate your insights that touch on all aspects of what needs to be considered in such technical projects from bridges to buildings and more. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
So winter sets in less than 30 days. Heating, shelter, water, access to health care from Halloween throughout winter to spring thaw?
Schools, groceries, medicine, mail?
I had never been in western North Carolina until last year when I drove I-40 from Tennessee into Asheville. My impression at the time was that it was like falling into a hole. It's just down, down, down for 50 miles.
It is rather hairy. I pulled a trailer through there once during a thunderstorm.
Thanks for the update.
The West Virginia Boys did do a great job establishing a link between Chimney Rock and Bat Cave. But I would caution to declare it "open". From the available drone footage, it is a narrow dirt/gravel path not suitable for regular cars. But with a truck or offroad vehicle you can navigate it.
Thanks to the W VA Boys? That is a beautiful part on our state! I know the people that live in that area are thankful! Thanks for sending TH-cam proceeds to Samaritan’s Purse! I sent them a substantial contribution right after the event!😊
Thanks for the updates
Certainly!
Thanks!
Thank you very much!!
Great episode!
Thank you!
TDOT just reopened I-26 in Erwin. It is only one lane each way and wide loads over 12 feet are prohibited. This was the southbound bridge. They are going to completely repair the northbound lanes, then shift the traffic over to it while they rebuild the southbound lanes.
Correction. It is the northbound side that has reopened. I got the sides backwards.
@larrypatty8333 right on 😎
Another great project to cover would be the southern VA _reroute_ of highway 58 at lover's leap. It's a phenomenal project.
Thank you for that suggestion!
VA is moving hwy58 away from lovers leap?
@@young11984 Yes. That said, lover's leap will have it's own access off the main road, so I was told. THe road is being straightened and widened to 4 lane in an epic reshaping of the terrain. I just rode through there today, amazed by it all.
@ awesome, i was hoping LL wasnt being destroyed
NCDOT needs to take advantage of this to either significantly raise or shift the I40 corridor to the French Broad River Pass into North Carolina its alot easier for Road building or to put in a series of Viaduct Bridges similar to the Linville Viaduct and get it out the Pigeon River by elevated roads.. It would probably cost up to $180 million per mile to Build all new infrastructure
@@jonathanray83 The French Broad River has a narrow section also and major flooding there would have destroyed any highway not built for the level of flooding in this storm. Viaduct bridges are expensive in the beginning but might be cost effective over decades.
“God Bless all that have helped in whatever way they could! Good ol’ southern Men always get it done when no one else can!!! I thank you 🙏🏻!
Sounds like you're implying men from other parts of the country couldn't or wouldn't do good work when you put it that way. Do you realize that?
@ no your implying that man!!! Make your own comments and stay out of mine ok! Peace ✌🏻
Samaritan's purse was a good choice, they are a major international charity but based up in the WNC mountains, this is homes turf for them.
If i can give some inside baseball from NC, I-40 will not be moved. I-26 is being extended North of Asheville (what your image at 10:45 shows is in fact "future I-26" currently US 19/23). We wont spend the money to have two interstates that close, and the environmental damage of following the river too extreme. The Idea of raising I-40 via viaduct is interesting and I'll take it to my contacts. the comment that I-40 will be open in 2025 is just for two lanes, one each way, not "fully." NCDOT's website, the same you showed, has the reopened scheduled for Dec 31, 2099, obviously a placeholder, but clear it's not going to be soon. Every other closure is 1 year or less. But I-40 will be a bear.
Thank you for your comments. Yes, I suppose the total restoration of I-40 in that area will likely be a multi-year process.
The "West Virginia Boys" did a fantastic job! and they deserve all the praise for their work! But what they built is really a temporary road, 1 lane wide. This gives access to areas that were cut off, and is a massive help to the locals. This section is not really open to the general public. This is for local and EMS traffic. It will take a lot more work to widen it to 2 lanes and bring it back up to highway standards.
Thank you!
Let me be clear, as a resident of North Carolina for the last 30 years, these kind of washouts are not uncommon. I would propose that any repairs that are done, be considered temporary and then a more permanent solution be found.
Yes, that is a good point.
It's not just washouts. I've been stuck for hours on that section of I-40 due to a wreck. What a lot of people don't realize is that there's literally no way around (or back). The highway is divided with barriers, there are spots where exits are many miles apart, and the exits don't connect to roads leading anywhere outside the area, so I-40 is the only road to anywhere not local.
@@GideonMesser, I agree with you 100%. This is a 1960s road that needs a 2025 solution, with access roads, crossovers, and lights. The road also needs to be four lanes each way to accommodate crossovers in case of accidents.
I was in Europe for the last two months and I can say they are not shy about building massive tunnels when needed for rail and road and pedestrian combined as needed. They seem so much more creative in moving stuff through the mountains. Hope all this infrastructure gets built higher and more reinforced as this won't be the last time.
Coal miners are definitely going to know how to move dirt and build roads.
You are so right.
Reminds me a lot of the 2021 floods in BC that knocked out Hwy 1 & Hwy 5 for a few months till they got sections reopened on an emergency basis
Yeah, I've been commenting that some comparisons between the initial restoration work and then subsequent more permanent fixes would be interesting.
Thank you for this timely update on this important topic!
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Hi Casey you might not cover roads overseas but if you were interested we had State Highway 25 washed out during a weather event, they predicted it to take years to rebuild and there was talk of that part of New Zealand being cut off permanently due to increasing weather events. I believe there is time lapse footage showing the work.
Thank you. I cover items of interest from all over the world so I appreciate your suggestion!
New Zealand? I'm waiting for them to build that tunnel under the Cook Strait
"The [bureaucrats] turned a blind eye to the unsanctioned build." - News report. "That was probably smart." - Casey 🤣🤣🤣
The sheriff was one of the officials. However, unlike FEMA bureaucrats, he is directly accountable to the people at the next election so it's not surprising that common sense prevailed.
In other words, the bureaucrats let them do it. What's wrong with that? Everyone is so overwhelmed with reparing damage, let it be.
It would likely have been bad for their health to have said anything.
@@robertjune1221 In thinly populated rural counties like that, the Sheriff is usually the most important/influential elected politician in the county. If the Sheriff is Ok with what they are doing, it's not the job of the state or federal authorities to halt locally sanctioned disaster mitigation efforts
Probably because it doesn't have good "optics" to send the FBI after some people who built a road without government help right before an election.
It is my understanding that the mountain region of NC, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina, as well as, Virginia, and Kentucky, had already received several days of rain before Helene. The result was immediate and catastrophic flooding and land slides. My sister lives north of Ashville, 5 miles east of Weaverville. The warnings to seek higher ground were sent out after communications were down. She was lucky. She got communication back after about 10 days, and her power was restored on day 17. Trees down and some damage to outbuildings occurred. Her small community cut the trees off the roads in 2 days. According to the national weather service, some areas around Mt. Mitchell received over 30 inches from Helene. Power companies in western NC alone estimate 6800 miles of line down, with many completely washed away. There are still many areas that are only accessible by helicopter or mule trains or foot. The death toll continues to rise with literally thousands unaccounted for. My nephew lived near Chimney Rock. His home was flooded, but the 6 homes within sight of his no longer exist. He doesn't know if they were home. This is, and will be, an ongoing catastrophe. Thank you.
Wait a minute... What is your source for "thousands unaccounted for"?
Without a valid source your info is worthless due to all the misinformation that's been put out. Officials are stating the death toll has been greatly overexagerated. If you know of someone missing call your local police or sheriff's office to report so a proper search can begin.
Please, make sure what you report is the truth and can be validated, verified. Don't add to misinformation. It doesn't help, only hinders. Thank you.
After walking through the debris fields the fact that as people we’re still saying things such as rerouting the river & roads like we can stop nature when it decides to come alive. Powerful enough to let you watch literal mountains move, but we can stop it next time.
I'm deeply interested in how they are going about fixing this stretch, surprised there isn't a new youtube channel dedicated to a bi-weekly update report of this project.
Phillip Prince over at TheGeoModels has an excellent series of videos where he goes into detail about how the geology and topography of these areas made the flooding and landslides here so bad. Definitely worth a visit to his channel if you want to familiarize yourself with the geologic context of this event.
The road that the WV Boys opened up is not fully opened. It is open for local residents and emergency vehicles only
Ron Desantis put it best, " It's up to state and locals to see about the work, FEMA is just the bank ".
I agree with Desantis, the federal government is bureaucratic and slow. All it can do is award contracts to the people that's going to do the job, hopefully using locals.
FEMA is not even set up by law to do the work. I think that's what most people don't understand. There is no Walmart style logistics for food and water, there is no construction army. FEMA does assessments then provides money to state and local entitiesb based on those assessments. And I have no problem with the government looking the other way in an emergency. Emergencies are about triaging and getting stuff done. You want that kind of government not that firefighter who went on a power trip with that helicopter rescue.
@@major__kong Exactly .
@@major__kong no kidding. That fire chief will go in infamy for his power play.
If you are watching the US House of Representatives, controlled by the GOP, FEMA will be put out of business if Musk gets his way, to cut the federal budget by TWO TRILLION $$$ FEMA can't continue to bankroll poor choices and local lackness.
Its a sad day when it takes us that long to get things done. I went to Nicaragua after the hurricane in 99. Over 20 inches of and mud slides. We get there 90 days after and they had 90 miles of road rebuilt and paved and most small bridges were done. Here it takes us years to get things done with all the equipment available.
The fact that I-40 should never have been placed through Haywood County is what I’ve always heard from older folks. I believe the original design was to take it up along the current route of I-26 north of Asheville.
Hi Casey 👋 thanks for the update! Your infrastructure videos are very educational and informative. Hoping that things start to improve in North Carolina
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Thsnks for your review. Great video.
Thank you!
These are real Americans! Nice job West Virgina boys!
I've travelled I-40 through NC to Tennessee many times. It is a bit scary, Especially in heavy rain and snow. Night travel through there will increase the pucker factor for sure. The Pigeon river isn't very wide through there, and that narrow width acted like a venturi, increasing the force of the flow.
I agree. I drove through there one time in a major thunderstorm and it was hairy.
I-26 is back open. I came down from Johnson city to Asheville a few hours ago.
Thank you.
The rumor, if you can call it that, is that the route of I 40 was pushed through by a local politician some 60 years ago. It was always considered the least desirable route for the highway and there have been numerous problems over the years.
I live in WNC and drive I 40 every day to the Fines Creek exit and am pleased that it's open that far for local traffic. The problem with I 40 is simple: It should never have been built on that route--it is geologically unstable even without the terrible flooding we just experienced. Re-routing is a great idea but would be ridiculously expensive.
Yes, rerouting would probably take 15 years and $20 billion but it would now doubt be worth it.
Brilliant intelligent,intelligible presentation.
Thank you!
Stupid question: During World War 2, my uncle was a combat engineer. He installed "Bailey bridges" in combat areas. I don't understand why such bridges aren't used in areas that have been damaged by natural disasters.
my guess is that there are no more of them around. they've all been turned into razor blades.
the modern bailey bridge is the "medium girder bridge". Army bridging companies do get deployed for hurricane response, but I think the capacity is pretty limited.
you Can thank Governor Roy Cooper for that and Biden and Harris, . yes all them Bailey Bridges are at fort Bragg just waiting for Biden to say yes
Of course, the road should be moved, but they'll put something in place temporarily and if it holds up they'll get somebody to add to it and call it repaired and then separate themselves from legal responsibility if it fails.
@@6140LIBRA Thank you! Yes, that sounds like that will be what they are going to do.
Existing I-40 has to be fixed first. It will take years to design the new section, acquire property, hire contractors and build the road. Plus, you can be sure there will be opposition every step of the way so I expect there will be no new section of I-40 for 10 to 20 years at least.
Great point. It will be way quicker to get traffic restored on the existing section than wait for the construction of a new route as you point out.
What about I-26? Once it is repaired and reopened, it will be a fast way between TN and NC.
@@moonmunster Not if you're coming from Knoxville.
How about building a second roadway on the south bank of the Pigeon River, so eastbound 40 would be on the south bank and westbound on the north?
@@moonmunster not , now if you live close to i 81 then it is better for you to use i 26
Last Thursday I took 64 / 74 eastbound from Cleveland TN to Cullowhee NC, much of the truck traffic is traveling way too fast. Not long after passing the first Ocoee Dam, a truck was carrying a crushed truck cab west out of the gorge. Not far down the road you could see where the truck had crashed into the cliff side.
@0:37 The map you showed of road closures may give a very wrong impression of the extent of post-Helene road closures in North Carolina. NC has been engaged in an extensive program of bridge replacements for at least the past 15 years, so east of the far western mountain region, most of those road closures are almost certainly due to a _scheduled_ bridge replacement, and occasionally some other major work, such as replacing a crossroad intersection with a roundabout.
In the area to the east of Charlotte, over a 70 mile stretch that I drive frequently, and on adjoining roads a few miles on either side, there have probably been 10-12 bridges replaced over the past 15 years such that at any one time, there has usually been a bridge in the area that I know of, being replaced. .... I suspect that many are being performed by the same contractor and crew moving from job to job.
Given that I only frequently drive around a relatively small part of the state, the road closures marked on that map are consistent with the ongoing program of bridge replacements across the state.
26 Through Erwin TN is open just one lane each way. I drove it last night.
Very interesting video. I’d be very interested to hear you talk about repairs to the CSX Railroad Blue Ridge Division (former Clinchfield) between Spruce Pine, NC and Erwin, TN. Huge sections of the track and right-of-way were wiped out by the flooding, including a 7 section, 600+ foot bridge over the Nolichucky River. It seems the only possible access to some of these areas will be to work from the river bed.
They've had rock cars in town in Spruce Pine for the past couple days, looks like they came in from the East though I'm not sure how they got there... They must have worked at breakneck speed to get the North Cove and Altapass sections passable. My guess is they'll be working their way into the middle from both the Erwin and Spruce Pine ends.
5:51 The states first PDP was awarded Oct 2. The progressive build contract model emerged in response to challenges, particularly in sectors where projects are complex and subject to change, such as infrastructure and mining.
Thank You For This Video. It helped me understand what the State Governments Of Tennessee,And,North Carolina are doing to get traffic moving as soon as possible! I,do agree possible rerouting may be necessary for portions of these routes. Thank Goodness for these private companies,and, individuals expediting the rebuilding process! Especially The West Virginia Boys!
Thanks for checking it out!
thanks for another great video!
People don't understand that FEMA doesn't do the work directly themselves. They instead focus on prevention remodeling and pre-orginizing with locals to get any needed work done like providing vans and buses for evacuation and work crews for recovery. The US Army also sent in 2 airborne units of 1000 troops each to help with cleanup, along with a dozen vtol craft which mostly is CH-47s. What you will see of FEMA in field is mostly in the form of paperwork to get cash handouts and other things, as well as business cards for contacting.
FEMA for the most part is a call center and mission control center.
Thank you. So many poorly educated in this country.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has become a populist whipping boy for any and all complaints about the Federal Government. There is a deliberate misrepresentation of the mission FEMA has been given and what they have been authorized by Congress to do. FEMA does NOT have an army of workers and equipment ready to descend on every disaster site to fix everything and make everyone whole. Check out which representatives in Congress have voted to deny FEMA funding to do anything at all, much less be funded to be more effective, and you will likely be shocked to discover those politicians represent places that are prone to disaster or have had disasters where FEMA help has been critical to recovery. Easy to complain and criticize while spinning a story to whip up ignorant hatred. When disaster strikes we need everyone pulling together to help save lives and recover from the harm. Idiotic stories that have ignorant nut jobs showing up with guns to threaten or kill “FEMA” personnel supposedly confiscating resources is indescribably awful, dangerous and unhelpful. Clickbait for the easily mislead to make the one spreading the lies $$. Another kind of evil.
I remember traveling I-40 shortly after it was finished through Haywood County. I also remember the before and after of the collapse over the twin tunnels. The rock that fell was basically directly over the edge of the west bound tunnel. I guess that it was EASILY several hundred cubic feet of rock that slid off there. I wish I had a before and after picture, but I can probably draw it in if I tried.
I do remember traveling in a bus from Asheville to Knoxville to visit my sister who was there with her husband to finish their college work. The clean-up had barely started. They had a shed/house on the rock to help people notice the landslide and not run into it. Then, they had west bound traffic going through the east bound tunnel, and a two-lane temporary road (that looks like it finally got washed away in the flooding) going around the outside for east bound traffic.
From the mid-90's and on, the level of people coming from the west has gotten high enough that having only 2 lanes on I-40 has become a bad thing. They have been building some new bridges at the entrance, literally 5 or so miles from Exit 20.
This incident has given us a chance to review this roadway. I sincerely hope that they are able to build it back better. And by that I mean 3 lanes both ways. With it well out of the valley.
But that may be an engineering feet that won't happen due to the need for speed just to get ANYTHING open.
I was under 16, so that slide happened in the mid to late 80's. I've looked it up before, but I don't remember the details.
There have been at least 3-5 major slides through there since it was finished, and this is the second or third time that the road has washed out.
I know that it would be better to have this road in a better place.
But in the meantime, we have a high-speed tail of the dragon to enjoy! ;)
I'm in highway construction in MI. Funding is hitting a cliff and I'm looking for a change. Sounds like they might be looking for people down there.
Road and bridge work as already booming there before this disaster, so yes, opportunities to have a big impact abound.
Report: residents affected by helene thankful for and blessed by kindness of strangers. Also, many are relieved that RIDOT and alviti were not involved with post storm road work.
That is a good summary!😊
Ha, I lived in RI for a short while and had to deal with 6-10 construction on my commute the whole 4 years I was there.
I live on the French Broad River. No, I do not want an Interstate highway along the river. Leave it where it is.
This is one of the worst stretches of US interstate in the country.
Got caught in a traffic jam in there about 2007 for over 6+ hours. I went in about 8PM and got out about 3AM ......we were so locked in that people were having medical emergencies and had no way out. Soon ambiances were swarming in from Ashville to rescue people who could not exit nor seek assistance.
The culprit? a very small bridge repair in NC diversion to a 2 mile merge to one lane that was on hiatus during the Christmas season, but they did leave the blinking caution lights on. So they were thinking of safety.
It was unfathomable that NCDOT did that, or no one got fired for it. I still will never forget it.....never.
Casey,
On a good day that section of I-40 is one the scariest roads I have driven. It is narrow and lined with concrete "Jersy" barriers. To get from Southwest Virginia to Asheville I prefer I-26. I know East Tennessee was badly damaged by Helene. If I were a Tennessee or North Carolina DoT decision maker I would focus on opening I-26.
It is tough to figure out which is worse cleaning up a major oil spill or the damage left by Helene. I think I would choose the oil spill.
Bob
I appreciate the feedback on I-40. You have a good point about I-26.
Tn will have i 26 open be for i 40 is open
Amazing job 👏
Thank you!
Check out the drone video made by Storm Chaser Aaron Rigby who flew over the new road built by the West Virginia miners. It is a very temporary road on gravel piled next to the river. Good for people and trucks to get access to Bat Cave and Chimney Rock until the next storm hits, but nothing like a permanent solution.
That Teton rebuild is impressive!
Let's keep in mind that West Virginia boys didn't rebuild the road. They made a dirt road alongside of where the road used to be. They didn't put asphalt or anything else. It's just a dirt road. When they talk about opening I-40 they're talking about the two lanes that one destroyed and making it one lane in each direction. Not two lanes in both directions like it was before.
So are you saying don't give them any credit?
@@CaseyJones-Engineer They deserve a lot of credit. A dirt road is better than no road. Much respect for the West Virginia Boys.
@@CaseyJones-Engineer not what was said. jss is just clarifying what the Post article said in a misleading way. The highway wasn't rebuilt; just a dirt road to provide vehicle access again, which itself is a worthy feat considering the sheer amount of damage.
@ No, what I'm saying is they didn’t build a road, in the normal sense, just a dirt trail along the river.
@@CaseyJones-Engineer Don't know where that came from. It would be as though someone asked, "So are you saying we don't need engineers to build a road?"
I just returned from the area. The supposed "highway" built by the 'West Va Boys' is not a highway. It is a single lane dirt path, passable to smaller vehicles, open only to area residents. Good on them for getting access for these people, but any claims that the 'highway' is 'open' are false.
Also, Interstates 26 West (north) of Asheville was closed at exit 3 on Sunday but appears to be open. The signs leaving Asheville today (Wednesday) say "expect delays going west on 26' rather than "closed at Exit 3". HWY 74 west of Asheville to Canton, Waynesville, Sylva, Cherokee is open and fine. Light traffic there Wednesday afternoon.
Thanks for those details.
In some places this dirt path will require a 4WD to get up. "Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby" TH-cam channel has very recent drone footage of this road if anyone wants to see it.
Just returned today from the area. Life is quickly getting back to normal around Asheville and in Henderson county. In fact, I thought the destruction would be a lot worse. And kudos to the WV boys.
We're a long ways from normal. Asheville municipal water is still non potable with no return date set
@@charleyelefante
Good evening. Just watching the footage of the devastation is bad enough. I’m certain that as the cleanup continues, there will be many more issues that will need to be addressed. Honestly, I’m concerned about all of the hazardous waste that inadvertently escaped from the flooding.
I’m down in Augusta, GA. Most of our damage seemed to be from fallen trees. The night the hurricane hit, I was woken up by the sounds of trees falling all around. Things are still far from “normal” here, so I can only imagine what y’all are experiencing.
Take care Charley👍🏻
@@charleyelefante I do disaster relief work. Personally, I think they got off lightly and have to prepare for much worse ahead. (If a house is still standing, I'm happy.) Over 95% of the homes I saw were just fine when you look at the region as a whole. And personally, I blame the fossil fuel industry for their misinformation and lobbying that prevented taking climate change into account when they built the infrastructure in the first place. After all, I've known about global warming since 1971! And so has the government.
And when you live so far from town, you have to plan of isolation. Those many roads I traveled were more like paths where not even fire trucks could make it up those mountains. Too many switchbacks! So shame on them for ever approving all those thousands of homes in the first place. The property owners built for isolation, and they got it. But those in the backwoods also brought this on themselves. All my humble opinion, of course, but based on what I saw. Thx.
Good choice on Samaritan’s Purse. 👍🏻
Thank you!
I personally rebuilt 2 miles of state road right after the storm. It was over a month before DOT made it down here. It was a real gut punch for everyone. So much destroyed!
Love these updates, as I travel through the area frequently. Also can you look into the I26 repair north of Asheville? Thanks.
I expect the more remote areas will have dirt roads for a long, long time.
Hurray for the West Virginia Boys. Thanks for keeping us informed on this vital topic.
3:55 This portion of road is both US 64 and 74A as well as NC 9. I've been on it several times.
The weather machine cartel could very well be behind this. As Dead Fish put it, never let a catastrophe go to waste.
Good job WV Boys on taking the lead.
Thank you for this content. There is certainly no lack of ROCK to use in the rebuilding process, and these badly damaged portions of highway should also have some PROTECTION built for those most vulnerable areas... not that they will be tested again for 100 years or more.
Thank you! You make a good point! Where there are hills there is rock.
I used to live in North Carolina and also at 1 time I was a trucker that drove 40 frequently. I 40 really needs to be rerouted elsewhere in Western NC and Eastern TN. I hope that this will be expedited early next year. It may take 10 years to complete a reroute and hopefully also widening to at least 6-8 lanes but It really should be a top priority of both NC, TN and the US Government.
"That was probably smart" .....I love it!
I remember as a young truck driver I used to look forward to cruising I-40 through eastern TN and NC........ Later, I wised up and realized that I had an unhealthy lust for excitement....
And I'm willing to bet substantial money that the West Virginia boys managed to get that project done at a fraction of the cost that the government would have spent.
Thanks for an informative video 👍👍👍👍
I-26 in Irwin is now open 1 lane in each direction over the affected bridge
There are so many places I-40 and I-26 are washed out or blocked by landslides that it's going to take months to repair and reopen. Don't forget they have secondary roads in the same condition to repair. They simply don't have the manpower to survey, engineer, and construct a different route for I-40. Those poor men are overwhelmed as it is. I'm certain they're working 12 hour days 7 days a week.
Thank God for private citizens like the "West Virginia Boys," doing the impossible, performing miracles in big ways to help the residents rebuild from the devestation caused by Helene. Especially since the Federal government appears to have turned their backs when help is needed the most. Fema is a joke!!! I don't know of a single person who has been approved to receive assistance for their loses here in Greenville South Carolina. The website states they'll give $750 to help with food loses, property damage, chain saw purchase, tree removal, etc.. Assistance is needed now, especially the elderly on fixed incomes. Fema needs to be investigated. If necessary restructure, replace the ones in charge. They have failed us.
Kewiet ,seems to be a really good construction company they rebuilt Lake Orvil Dam in and on time watched the whole process when they were doing it !
The cynic in me can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t be better to just finish 26 through Asheville and reroute 40 alongside it to 81. If I recall, there is only one exit from Exit 27 to the TN line. The current route was chiseled onto the side of a mountain and is closed seemingly every three or four years.
Someone please explain why FEMA did not have temporary housing trailers going to the disaster relief the next day. We have poor hurting people living in tents instead of FEMA housing trailers.
The West Virginia Boys showed what could be done but there's not "enough" money in it to just fix the road.
Yes, I think it is a great story.
@@CaseyJones-Engineer Hello! WNC lifelong local here and 911 dispatcher of 21 years.
There is a large problem with this story. It’s not true.
You can find articles with interviews from the Henderson County Sheriff that are addressing this rumor/bad info.
NC DOT, primarily made up of workers from all over Western NC and contractors from all over Western NC - many that have lost their homes but have been working around the clock to get temporary roads into communities and work on the main roads - as well as partners from DOT and other contractors, have spent the last 4 weeks building a solid and sturdy temporary roads. They are going to have to hold up and last throughout the rebuilding of new roads which is going to take time.
They have built one going into Chimney Rock, and one going into Bat Cave. They are currently in the process of connecting them.
First an excess of debris had to be moved and trees had to be cleared.
They are plotting the roads based on survey data taken before the Helene hit, are trying to stay in the state right of way but are compensating families for land when they cannot.
They have been putting in solid temporary roads as quickly as they can because opening larger corridors of aid has been a primary objective that the Army Corps of Engineers is also involved in.
The permanent roads are going to take over a year to build because the river has to be redirected back to its original path first.
This group of guys from West Virginia came into help anyway they could, like many. They have been in the Bat Cave area and they have cleared debris and helped families with their private driveways.
Based on what I have seen so far it appears one went rogue and started roughly and improperly scraping in a road between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock.
He carved through private land without a second thought, and without speaking to landowners. This resulted in confrontations with landowners.
He scraped in part of a useless road on incredibly unstable ground before being stopped and had a confrontation with local DOT workers.
He was asked to leave the areas and has since been spreading lies.
The story of the “West Virginia Boys” was originated on social media. Every post said something different.
One claim: They allegedly took it upon themselves to build the road when they heard that it was going to take the DOT a year to put the temporary road in.
This is a lie. DOT never said this. It will take at least a year to rebuild the permanent road.
Another Claim: They put in a 1 mile stretch of temporary road to Chimney Rock in one week and just finished it.
Laughable lie. That was all NC DOT. That was locals working around the clock to restore access and the amount of trees and debris that had to be cleared first was mind boggling. They still got it mainly carved in over 2 weeks ago.
You can find video of the 101st Airborne rolling a full convoy into Chimney Rock, complete with power company bucket trucks, over 2 weeks ago thanks to our DOT.
They have done a lot of work to make sure the road is stable, secure and is going to hold up since.
Next Claim: They put in a 2.7 mile stretch of temporary road in 3 days from the Bat Cave side.
How are people falling for this? They are not from here. They do not know the area. They do not know property lines and they are engineers or people who construct roads.
The next claim is that they finished connecting the road between the 2 communities.
No, one made a mess and was ran out of town. The others are still there assisting families.
@@CaseyJones-Engineer That should be they are NOT engineers or people who know how to build roads.
The amount of bad information going around is extreme and absurd.
It is also harming people.
If any of you have spread lies about FEMA seizing land, something they do not have the power to do and a lie that has terrified many western North Carolinians and made them afraid of people that are trying to help provide assistance, AND you have cheered on some yahoo that took it upon himself to carve up peoples land (that has already been devastated) without bothering to talk to anyone….
Please, stop and think about your thought processes because they are not making a lick of sense.
@@pollysshore2539
Agree.
Kind of interesting how Casey will spend a lot of time combing details of a DOT repair... and then turn around a literally praise complete these amateurs. 🤷🏽🤦♂️
Agree with many comments that a better location for the interstate would be welcome. We regularly drive that stretch of I-40. It would be absolutely wonderful if they rerouted it.
I wonder how much consideration they will give it.