For the first time since the remnants of Hurricane Helene ravaged Western North Carolina, U.S. 64 will fully open from Hendersonville through Bat Cave to Chimney Rock on Saturday, restoring a critical route for visitors to the Lake Lure area.
The highway was washed out in many places and has been open to local traffic only between Bat Cave and Hendersonville since the storm in September 2024. The “local traffic only” signs will come down Saturday.
From Hendersonville, U.S. 64 tops the Eastern Continental Divide before descending along Reedy Patch Creek into Bat Cave, where it joins U.S. 74A toward Chimney Rock. To reopen and rebuild the road, NCDOT contractors had to remove dirt that had washed down from the hills above and bring in 57,000 tons of rock to restore and shore up sections that were washed out…