In September 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, killing 106 people and causing $60 billion in damages – making it the costliest and deadliest disaster in state history. More than 1,400 roads were closed, including I-26 and I-40, which cut off interstate traffic between North Carolina and Tennessee. Many tractor-trailers became stuck on curvy and steep mountain roads, delaying the delivery of critical supplies and emergency response to areas of western NC; areas hit hardest by the storm. As a result, the North Carolina Department of Transportation launched an initiative to better inform truckers of closures. The agency posted truck route closures on its website, coordinated communications with navigation providers, issued alerts to electronic logging devices as truckers approached unsuitable roads, sent wireless emergency alerts to all travelers about treacherous road conditions, and established checkpoints with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The NCDOT’s Safety Service Patrol also helped reroute trucks, installing traffic control measures to prevent oversized loads on unsuitable roads. Costing $67.4 million, those safety measures minimized the impacts to the already strained transportation network, thus enabling the communities to continue the long process of rebuilding.