A stretch of Interstate 40 through the western North Carolina mountains is reopening to traffic this weekend, months after Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding collapsed portions of the road.

The four-mile stretch of I-40 on the Tennessee and North Carolina border will reopen to motor traffic Saturday, according to North Carolina Department of Transportation.

It will cost $60 billion for North Carolina to recover from Hurricane Helene, according to the latest state estimate. “The challenges in relation to this are so enormous,” Thomas Chandler, deputy director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University,

Another $500 million would be spent toward Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in western North Carolina in legislation the state House unanimously approved Tuesday. The measure, if enacted, would add to the funds the Republican-controlled General Assembly already approved in late 2024 to spend on disaster recovery activities

The North Carolina House pushed forward $500 million in aid to rebuild the western part of the state from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, roughly half the amount Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) asked for.

North Carolina state lawmakers advanced their fourth round of disaster relief funding Tuesday, a $500 million package for western counties impacted by Helene.

A North Carolina state bill giving half a billion dollars to Helene relief is closer to law. The NC House unanimously approved a new spending package to help with relief. However, it still needs Senate approval.