North Carolina Construction News staff writer
The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has awarded a $32 million contract to rebuild a 1.1-mile section of U.S. 176 that was destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
Blythe Construction of Charlotte was awarded the contract as the lowest qualified bidder. The project will reconstruct 16 separate sites along the highway, which runs through a steep and narrow ravine alongside the North Pacolet River.
Sections of the southbound lane were washed away during the storm, with some portions of the roadway sitting above slopes that drop as much as 60 feet to the river below.
Because of the terrain and the extent of the damage, U.S. 176 will remain closed throughout construction. Work is scheduled to be completed in late 2029.
Interstate 26 will continue to serve as the detour for motorists needing to reach locations on either side of the closure.
“This project is one of the most complex reconstruction projects that resulted from Hurricane Helene,” Division Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said. “The corridor is highly constrained by the river on one side and rugged terrain on the other. Unfortunately, there is not enough room to make the repairs and allow traffic to use the road at the same time.”
Construction will begin at the river and move upward toward the roadway, similar to work underway on Interstate 40 and planned for Gerton.
Crews will excavate from the roadway toward the river, build a causeway and construct a temporary track back to the highway. The roadway will then be rebuilt using several types of retaining structures, including soil-nail walls, pile-panel walls and grouted rock embankments.
The project is the result of extensive work by NCDOT engineers and other staff since Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina in September 2024.
Projects of this scale typically require five to seven years of planning and permitting, according to NCDOT. The project team completed the design, obtained permits and negotiated easements in less than two years.
“There are a lot of smart people who have spent extra hours hustling to get this project to the point where crews can begin moving equipment into the area,” Grindstaff said. “We are so thankful to have such a great pre-construction team on this project.”
The U.S. 176 reconstruction is one of several major projects underway or planned in Western North Carolina to repair infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene.