Congestion, increased commercial volume has been problematic
Tatham Gap – An accident inside the Nantahala Gorge on Saturday led to traffic being re-routed through an unusual route: Tatham Gap Road, a single-lane dirt road that serves as an alternate connection between Robbinsville and Andrews.
Since Hurricane Helene washed out a portion of Interstate 40 near the North Carolina and Tennessee, the western portion of the state has seen a significant increase in traffic – sparked by drivers looking for alternative routes to east Tennessee. This has led to an uptick in commercial traffic flowing through the mountainous terrain of the area, as well.
Both the Tennessee and N.C. Highway Patrol has been stationed around the clock on U.S. 129 and N.C. 28, attempting to deter tractor-trailers from navigating the famed “Tail of the Dragon” – which was simply not designed to handle commercial vehicles. Flashing signs have adorned the divided highway of U.S. 19/74 in Swain County and N.C. 28 for weeks, with troopers pulling over each tractor-trailer that appears to be heading toward the 318-curve, 11-mile stretch of highway.
It was only a matter of time before a logistical nightmare erupted – and Saturday’s accident on U.S. 19 was the catalyst. Anyone seeking a way around the accident was told by a Global Positioning System to use N.C. 28 to N.C. 143, continue into Robbinsville and eventually take Tatham Gap Road as the detour.
The only issue is Tatham Gap Road is not built for commercial vehicles. A Forest Service road that is susceptible to closures due to inclement weather, the 10-mile stretch from Snowbird Road to Stewart Road in Andrews was soon congested with drivers looking to continue their way westward.
Before long, five different semi-trucks were stuck on the dirt road. Members of both the Graham County Rescue Squad and Sheriff’s Office eventually cleared the mess, but the confusion only grew when The Graham Star began looking into the incident.
When the I-40 closure was first implemented Sept. 27 – some 80 minutes away from Graham County – there was a mad scramble to decide the best course of navigation around the Pigeon River Gorge.
Originally, the Tennessee Highway Patrol escorted “essential” commercial traffic through the Dragon and to Deals Gap in Swain County, but a permit was required for authorities to accompany the vehicle. The increased flow proved to be too much and the practice was quickly discontinued.
Today, the N.C. Highway Patrol is present at checkpoints across both Graham and Swain counties around the clock, to prevent semis from even reaching Deals Gap. Tennessee authorities are stationed at Chilhowee Dam at the Dragon’s northern terminus to do the same.
The Star learned prior to Saturday’s accident inside the Nantahala Gorge that Waze – a popular navigation app – was informing drivers that N.C. 28 was closed, from the Graham/Swain line at Tsali to the intersection with U.S. 19/74. This was not the case and when questioned, a Waze agent told the Star that “DOTs have asked that Waze keep the closures in place in the app for certain roads to reduce truck and non-local traffic.”
At Wednesday’s press deadline for The Graham Star, no roads in Graham County were closed.
A follow-up response from Waze was requested – concerning marking the Tail of the Dragon as closed – but was not returned by press time.