7 Months After Florence, All North Carolina Roads Reopened

All of the roads that were closed in North Carolina by Hurricane Florence are now open.

It took seven months since the storm’s historic rains and flooding before the last of the 2,500 road closure sites was back open to traffic. The Department of Transportation says the final stretch — a two-lane road in Wayne County — reopened Friday.

Portions of Interstates 40 and 95 were closed in September due to rising waters, upsetting East Coast traffic and contributing to no secure way in and out of Wilmington. The interstates were reopened fully more than a week after Florence reached landfall.

DOT says permanent repairs continue on reopened roadways. Permanent replacement bridges on U.S. Highway 421 at the New Hanover-Pender county line should be open to traffic by next spring.