I-40 Closed For Hours Near Mile Marker 7 For Safety
I-40 closed through the Great Smoky Mountains for several hours on Tuesday September 15, 2015 due to unstable rocks. An ongoing slope stabilization project caused some rocks to become unstable high above I-40 so to be safe the NCDOT closed both east and west lanes near mile marker 7 in North Carolina. The eastbound lanes were reopened late Tuesday night with the westbound lanes reopened later in the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Rock Slide
The slope stabilization project is being done to control any rock slides before they may happen. Rock slides in this section of I-40 through the Great Smoky Mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina have occurred in the past causing significant damage to I-40. The rock slide resulted in this section of I-40 to be closed for several weeks. The detour around this section of I-40 adds over 100 miles to a trip between North Carolina and Tennessee. Both NC and TN DOT work hard to keep I-40 open and safe to travelers through the Great Smoky Mountains.
See the massive rock slide from October 2009…
