US Transportation Secretary surveys reconstruction efforts in East TN

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Tennessee Thursday to assess reconstruction efforts and to see firsthand the damage Hurricane Helene left behind. The Transportation Secretary spoke with members of TDOT along I-40 East. The interstate has remained closed since the Pigeon River washed part of it away. Another key portion of road also washed away at the I-26 bridge over the Nolichucky River. The U.S. Department of Transportation has already committed $32 million to recovery efforts in Tennessee following the flooding. A portion of I-26 reopened to local traffic October 10. Buttigieg and TDOT leaders said they hope to have at least one lane in each direction open along both I-26 and I-40 in the coming weeks.