Tunnel Road license office to reopen Monday after Helene damage

Drivers in East Asheville will again have a nearby place to renew licenses, get a REAL ID or take a knowledge test after the Tunnel Road office reopens Monday. The office at 600 Tunnel Road had been closed indefinitely since Hurricane Helene damaged the building in September 2024, leaving Buncombe County residents to make the trip across town to West Asheville.

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles said the office will reopen Monday, May 4, and operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will offer driver’s license and ID services including renewals, knowledge testing and REAL IDs. Road skills tests and motorcycle testing will still be handled at the West Asheville Driver License Office at 1624 Patton Avenue.

The reopening gives Asheville and Swannanoa drivers another in-person option after months of rerouting. During the closure, customers were directed to Patton Avenue for appointments and walk-ins and were urged to use online services where possible. Restoring the Tunnel Road office should ease pressure on the West Asheville site and trim travel time for people who have had to cross the city for routine transactions.

The office had first been shut temporarily in August 2024 for a new roof and air conditioning and heating work, with no reopening date set then. Helene then pushed the closure into an indefinite shutdown, extending the disruption for nearly 21 months before the DMV set the reopening date.

The return comes as Buncombe County continues to work through Helene recovery. County materials say the storm caused devastating flooding, landslides and other damage across the county, and Buncombe County and its six municipal partners have laid out 114 recovery projects in a Helene Recovery Plan. State transportation officials said March 27 that 87% of nearly 9,500 Helene-damaged sites in western North Carolina had been repaired, along with nearly 590 of 869 damaged bridges, 26 of them replaced.

REAL ID service will remain one of the office’s most important offerings. NCDMV says REAL ID cards carry a star and are required for federal purposes unless the card is marked “Not for Federal Purposes,” making the Tunnel Road office a key stop for residents updating identification after the storm-related disruption.