I-40 Closed Between Asheville and Knoxville

Alternate routes keep Pigeon Forge accessible to Interstate travelers

A rockslide on Interstate 40 on Oct. 25, 2009, has closed the highway at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. The rockslide is in Haywood County, N.C., and officials say it could take several months before I-40 reopens.

Leisure travelers headed to Pigeon Forge from the Asheville area can take I-26 to Johnson City, Tenn., and then take I-81 to I-40. Pigeon Forge is reached via I-40’s Exit 407. This detour adds about 50 miles.

An alternative for passenger vehicles is Highway 25-70 from western North Carolina to Newport, Tenn., which is on I-40. Leisure travelers in the vicinity of Cherokee, N.C., on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park can get to Pigeon Forge by taking U.S. 441 (Newfound Gap Road). Note that U.S. 441 can experience weather-related closures in winter.