ASHEVILLE, NC – A critical corridor in Asheville is set to open Friday afternoon. N.C. Department of Transportation engineers anticipate opening Swannanoa River Road (N.C. 81) following six months of cleanup, restoration and construction by multiple agencies. Hurricane Helene destroyed the corri dor by flooding the Swannanoa River. Reopening the highway reconnects several neighborhoods, including Oakley, with other parts of the city and provides drivers an alternative to Fairview Road, Interstate 40 or I-240. Partners including the City of Asheville, Army Corps of Engineers, Buncombe County, utility providers and their contractors all operated in the corridor, sometimes at the same time. Reopening the highway reconnects several neighborhoods, including Oakley, with other parts of the city and provides drivers an alternative to Fairview Road, Interstate 40 or I-240. NCDOT crews and contractors repaired, rebuilt or reconstructed nearly every element of the 3-mile stretch from Biltmore Avenue on the western end to Tunnel Road on the eastern side. The stretch from Fairview Road to Tunnel Road opened in late January. ...read more read less