The North Carolina Department of Transportation estimates it will cost around $5 billion to restore state roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene, according to Emily McGraw, the NCDOT Director of Highway Operations. One billion of that will go to rebuild 22 miles of Hwy 19W in Yancey County from Cane River to the Tennessee line. That is almost the same amount as spent to reconstruct the eastbound lanes on Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge. In comparison the NCDOT spent about $700 million on repairs for all previous storms since 2016 including the two hurricanes, Matthew and Florence that devastated eastern North Carolina.
