From Staff Reports 

NEWPORT, Tenn. — The rebuild of Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge near here is now estimated to cost about $2.8 billion — up from the original $2 billion, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said on Sept. 2. 

New testing found deeper bedrock in some areas, requiring longer steel piles. The longer piles are contributing to the increased cost and extended timeline, NCDOT said.

The agency now expects to restore four lanes by late 2029.

NCDOT is rebuilding the roughly five-mile stretch of I-40 damaged by Tropical Storm Helene with reinforced structures designed to withstand the powerful forces of the Pigeon River and reduce the risk of future flooding and slope failures. 

Officials say the reconstruction is being designed with long-term resilience in mind to prevent another catastrophic failure along the critical transportation corridor.

The “Comment Bubble” appearing after a story on the I-40 project by Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) included the following assertions:

• Bobbyjoebob — “Rebuild with resilience. Lol. The river will just pick another spot.”

• Kumquat — “A bridge would have made more sense.”

• AintRight — “Amen, Kumquat!” 

• Wasagreatcity — “Cannot stop mother nature anything built by man cannot control the power of water. I have seen and experience the power of water and if want to destroy it will without hesitation.”

• TheOracle — “Just need it to last another 25 years or so — get us down the road a bit longer.”

• AintRight — “I’m starting to think like you. I mean I only need this hole to last another 20-25 years. 

“I wanted to put a cool rated metal roof on this little WAVL bungalow for the lifespan, for keeping our crib cooler, and that it would be recyclable after 50 years instead of dumping three tar replacements, of my house square feet’s, of asphalt shingles into the landfill.

“But I don’t have enough money left (25k)  in my dotage. Don’t rub it in Myrtle! I know how much you love that.”

Smathers — “lol you need to penalize the contractors . It will probably be 4 billion at a minimum by the time it’s all set and done.”

• AintRight — “We shouldn’t penalize the contractors. We made a terrible mistake 40 years back to attempt to put a four lane divided  highway through this incrediblely old and narrow valley. 

“I had hope that after the damage by Hellene we might pull it out to take breath and realize we need to follow the old road and the French Broad to our family in Tennessee. 

“‘Insanity: doing the same thing over and over, and failing over and over, but expecting different results.’”