A mudslide from Hurricane Helene flooding resulted in a partial collapse of the highway, a major thoroughfare through the Southern Appalachians.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation reports that Interstate 40 near the Tennessee state line (from Mile Marker 0-20) will be closed indefinitely. NCDOT reports that I-40 is closed in both directions for 43 miles between Exit 432 in Tennessee and Exit 20 in North Carolina.

Sections of Interstate 40 are still impassable and some areas are just completely gone. It will take a while to make repairs to the interstate, but it might not be as long as Google is predicting.