Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation estimate that a portion of Interstate 40 that was washed away in the Pigeon River Gorge during Hurricane Helene will be open to traffic by the start of the new year.The gorge is where a stretch of I-40 runs largely parallel with the Pigeon River and where the high-traffic interstate connects East Tennessee and western North Carolina.The area saw unprecedented devastation in late September, when torrential rainfall and floods sent entire lanes crumbling into the Pigeon River.However, NCDOT said a project that will stabilize a stretch of the interstate may be ready for drivers by New Year’s Day.The project will create enough space on the road for one lane in each direction, covering a 9-mile stretch between Tennessee and North Carolina. Drivers will be able to travel along this stretch at 40 mph.This short-term fix will also allow for the completion of long-term repairs over several years, NCDOT said.”We are optimistic that our contract partners can complete the work, establish one narrow lane in each direction and create a safe work zone for the long-term restoration,” NCDOT’s Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said. “We are working to open I-40 when it is safe, and it will be tight conditions for everybody. But if everybody is patient, everybody can get through.”Officials said long-term reconstruction plans are still in early development. They noted that there is no date for the start of the construction, nor a cost estimate. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHERIn the meantime, other parts of I-40, particularly along the Blue Ridge Parkway, have begun to reopen.