Four westbound I-26 lanes open in Buncombe County amid widening project

Four westbound lanes are now open on Interstate 26 between the Blue Ridge Parkway and Exit 33, giving daily drivers a clearer run through one of Buncombe County’s most frustrating construction zones. For commuters headed toward Brevard Road, Airport Road, and the western edge of Asheville, the change marked a visible improvement, even as traffic patterns around the corridor continued to shift.

The opening came as part of the long-running I-26 widening project, which the North Carolina Department of Transportation said began in the fall of 2019. The broader work covers about 22 miles from U.S. 25 in Henderson County to the I-40/I-240 interchange south of Asheville. Transportation officials have said the project is meant to improve roadway capacity, safety, bridges, drainage, pavement structure and deteriorating road surfaces.

The new lanes also tie directly to the rebuilding of the Blue Ridge Parkway bridge over I-26. NCDOT and the National Park Service said the old bridge had to be replaced because its piers were too close to the widened interstate lanes. The replacement was built south of the original structure, and the Parkway was realigned slightly to flatten the curve and improve safety and the travel experience. Planning documents said that realignment section is about 1,200 feet long and that the Parkway could stay open while crews built the new bridge and removed the old one, a process expected to take about three years.

Even with the westbound lanes open, the project is not finished. State officials have said final operations in the northern Buncombe County stretch were expected in late 2026, and drivers should still expect construction activity, final punch-list work and occasional traffic disruptions before the corridor is complete. That northern section also includes a new interchange added after the project began, creating another route to Brevard Road near the North Carolina Arboretum.

The work in Buncombe County follows major progress in Henderson County, where the widening was said to be functionally complete in April 2025 after the construction of 62 lane miles of new interstate, along with shoulders, guardrails, walls and two new rest areas with expanded facilities. For Asheville-area drivers, the latest lane opening was tangible relief, but the larger rebuild still has months of work left before the interstate corridor is fully done.