NCDOT reports 1,140 storm-damaged sites in Ash County; $33.1 million spent so far on road repairs

A North Carolina Department of Transportation district engineer told the Ash County Board of Commissioners on April 20 that recovery from Hurricane Helene is substantial and ongoing: the division has identified roughly 1,140 site-specific repairs in the county, had completed about 418 (approximately 37 percent) as of April 11, and reported roughly $33.1 million in repair expenditures so far.

Why it matters: The scale of damage and the level of state and contractor spending affect travel safety, school bus routes and the county’s near-term maintenance workload. DOT officials said many repairs are capital- and specialty-intensive, including soil-nail and gravity walls, bridge repairs and culvert replacements.

Summary of DOT status and costs District staff summarized recovery work 207 days after the storm. Key figures provided to the board: - Sites identified: about 1,140 site-specific and stabilization items (the transcript distinguishes site-specific repairs, generally greater than $5,000, from lower-dollar stabilization work). - Sites fully repaired: 418 (37 percent reported as of April 11). - Money expended to date: $33,333,100 on road repairs (figure reported by staff during the briefing).

DOT described work underway or completed DOT staff reported completion of numerous specialized soil-nail and GRS (gabion-type) walls in the Big Laurel and other corridors, temporary signal installations on U.S. 88, and bridge work. The briefing listed specific locations where asphalt repairs had been made and scheduled pavement work for additional locations in the coming weeks.

Bridge and culvert work DOT reported that 70 bridges in Ash County have been permanently repaired since the storm, that three bridges remained closed at the time of the briefing, and that 21 of 50 large (over 54-inch) damaged drainage structures had been replaced. DOT staff also described low-water bridges on the RAISE grant program; several had been washed out but were replaced in kind for temporary service and have programming for permanent replacement over the next three to four years.

Materials, contracts and workforce Of the $33.1 million reported spent to date, DOT staff said roughly $21 million went to contractor contracts, $3.25 million to labor, about $1.25 million to equipment and close to $7 million to materials (concrete, rock and paving). DOT said asphalt repairs can drive costs higher for remaining sites.

Operational concerns and community questions Commissioners asked about the number of two-lane roads reduced to single-lane, the locations of temporary signals and whether particular hazardous slides (for example, Little Horse Creek and Big Laurel) were prioritized. DOT staff said they would confirm specific priority listings and provide additional data on signal locations and tons of gravel hauled. The district engineer said crews have been working methodically and that recent construction is shifting from emergency response to planned repairs.

Next steps and follow-up DOT staff committed to provide more detailed lists on signalized sites, the status of specific slides and priority rankings for two-lane-to-one-lane locations. Several commissioners commended DOT for the speed and scale of work completed to date and noted that additional maintenance needs will emerge as heavy construction traffic accelerates wear on rural roads.

Quotes from the briefing - On pace of repairs: the district engineer said the division had been averaging “almost 2 and a half sites a day” repaired over the recovery period. - On costs: the engineer said roughly $33,100,000 had been expended to date on recovery efforts in Ash County.

Documentation DOT provided a progress briefing and a list of recent and upcoming paving and structure projects; DOT staff said these figures are engineering estimates used for FEMA reporting and reimbursements and that final numbers may vary as work and reporting continue.