TDOT Reopens Two Severely Damaged State Routes

KNOXVILLE - Today SR 350 in Greene County and SR 133 in Johnson County are open to traffic one week after Hurricane Helene swept through East Tennessee destroying five bridges and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure.

Following the storm, SR 350, known locally as Jones Bridge Road, was piled 30 feet high with debris. Chunks of the road were washed away, exposing bare dirt and bent utility poles.

"In just 120 hours, 75 TDOT employees hauled dozens of truckloads of debris from Jones Bridge Road and repaired craters of asphalt displaced by the storm. Their commitment to reconnecting communities is unmatched as they continue to make progress day after day," said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley.

To watch a recap video of the work on SR 350 please click on the following:
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TDOT is committed to informing the public of our progress during this critical recovery period. We have created a dedicated webpage for storm updates, which can be accessed here: Hurricane Helene Recovery (tn.gov).

On this site, TDOT will provide daily updates at approximately 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT. These updates will include our Project Status Tracker along with a map of East Tennessee closures, broken down by county. Updates will also be shared on our social media channels. For real-time information on road conditions, please visit SmartWay.

RECOVERY HIGHLIGHTS:

• 49 sections of state routes originally closed, 30 of those have reopened.
• TDOT crews have inspected all state-owned bridges over water.
• Crews have assessed 35 of the 90 locally owned bridges requiring assessment.
• More than 400 dedicated TDOT team members are tirelessly working to repair and reconnect communities as quickly and safely as possible.