WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — A stretch of Interstate 40 through the western North Carolina mountains is reopening to traffic this weekend, months after Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding collapsed portions of the road, partially restoring the major travel connection with eastern Tennessee.

The state Department of Transportation said the 20-mile section on the North Carolina side of the border will officially reopen Saturday. Flooding in the Pigeon River gorge in Haywood County washed away over a mile of I-40’s eastbound lanes in late September.

Although usually a four-lane road, large portions of the section will operate for now with one narrowed lane in each direction, with a 35-mph speed limit, state authorities said. — Associated Press