ASHEVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina will receive nearly $2 billion in federal funding for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, including critical repairs to Interstate 40, officials announced this week.

The Federal Highway Administration allocated an additional $1.15 billion to the North Carolina Department of Transportation , marking "the largest single allocation of emergency relief funding that has ever been allocated to one state in the department's history," according to Administrator Sean McMaster. Combined with previously allocated funds, the total reaches approximately $2 billion.

Helene severely damaged a 4-mile stretch of I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge , forcing the closure of this vital corridor connecting North Carolina to Tennessee. The storm destroyed portions of the eastbound l

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