SWANNANOA, N.C. (WSPA) — A bridge on US 70 in Swannanoa is scheduled to reopen for the first time since Hurricane Helene Tuesday night. The North Carolina Department of Transportation said the bridge just east of the Asheville Veterans Affairs Hospital opening will alleviate some of the traffic on I-40 and I-240 after structural damage left it unusable since Hurricane Helene. NCDOT gets $1.1M grant for emergency relief drones “From the ground up, we identified that we had to rehab the substructure, then come behind and build a reinforced retaining wall to establish the roadway again,” said Tom Veazey, a Division 13 resident engineer. “We’re finishing the paving today for the traveling public.” NCDOT said an average of 16,000 vehicles crossed the bridge per day before Helene. They said the repair cost approximately $900,000. The bridge is the last U.S. highway in Buncombe County to remain closed though several North Carolina highways are still impacted, including stretches of NC 81 and NC 197.