SEVIERVILLE — There are plenty of routes to take into North Carolina while Interstate 40 is closed.

The road has been closed since early Oct. 25, when a massive rock slide just over the border with North Carolina covered all lanes in both directions with boulders and debris.

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue has declared the site an emergency; state officials have said it could be four months or longer before any lanes on the interstate are opened. Early estimates for the cost run up to $10 million. The last time the road faced a major closure of that nature was 1997.

The Tennessee and North Carolina departments of transportation are recommending that most through traffic take Interstate 81 north up to the Tri-Cities area and Interstate 26 east back to Asheville, where they can reconnect with Interstate 40. That route adds about 53 miles to the trips that would have gone along Interstate 40 for the average traveler, said Travis Brickey of TDOT.

“On average it adds 50 minutes to the drive,” he said. If it normally took you 2 hours to go from Knoxville to Asheville, it’ll take 2 hours 50 minutes.”

They have reported an increase in traffic along the detour, naturally, but so far it doesn’t appear to be straining the alternative route, Brickey said.

There are other alternative routes for people willing to get off the interstate and enjoy a more scenic trip, he said — chiefly by taking Highway 25-70, which was the primary route for traffic in 1997, because Interstate 26 didn’t connect Asheville and Johnson City.

“If you’re local and you don’t have a large vehicle, a lot of people are taking advantage of U.S. 25-70 through Newport and Hot Springs,” Brickey said.

Tractor trailers aren’t allowed along that route, but it’s still mostly a two-lane road that winds through the mountains and can back up quickly.

“It’s a good road but it’s mainly a two-lane road so it’s susceptible to slow-downs.”

Local people also have the option of traveling over Newfound Gap into Cherokee, N.C. and Highway 74 back to Interstate 40, but that route isn’t being recommended for a variety of reasons.

With winter weather already starting in the mountains, the road can close at any time and could remain closed for extended periods of time, Brickey said, and even when it’s open it’s likely to be congested with visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

jfarrell@themountainpress.com