Major road closures due to flooding from Hurricane Helene persist on Interstates 26 and 40, affecting both sides of the North Carolina/Tennessee border. This situation places a significant burden on routing software, which is tasked with guiding truckers away from impassable routes. While hundreds of other road closures exist across both states, ranging from U.S. highways to smaller state roads, the status of the two critical interstates serving western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee remains uncertain. Closures are determined by a complex set of rules and regulations, but the most severe disruptions are concentrated on Interstate 40 on both sides of the state line and on Interstate 26 in Tennessee.

Truckers are relying on their routing software to navigate these diversions, marking the second time in six to seven months they've faced such widespread closures. The previous incident, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, presented a simpler challenge: rerouting through the harbor tunnels or around the metropolitan area via Interstate 695. However, the substantial loss of access on two interstates, not to mention U.S. highways, creates a far more intricate problem. For instance, the North Carolina Department of Transportation reported approximately 415 road closures and at least 120 bridges requiring replacement in North Carolina alone on Friday. Rishi Mehra, vice president of commercial mapping and routing technology...