Transportation officials are hoping the project — one of the most expensive in state history — will lead the crucial highway to a more resilient future.

No injuries were reported, according to the Asheville Fire Department. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The event comes more than 30 years after planning on the $1.8 billion project began.

The initiative, led by the Buncombe County Special Collections, is seeking volunteers from the communities of Leicester, Sandy Mush and French Broad.

Lew Bleiweis, the airport’s president and CEO, said the new facility is a crucial part of the airport’s $400 million expansion.

The twisting, turning stretch of railway known as the Old Fort Loops runs about 13 miles between Old Fort and Swannanoa. It sustained heavy damage during Helene.

Additional closures will take place in early May, with exact dates and detour information to be announced.

In rural counties, new developments have prompted soul searching about the lack of land use rules, and many are wondering what can still be done.

Western North Carolina’s most populous county lost residents last year after more than two decades of steady growth.

The project is already in the federal government’s pipeline. The big question now is how local governments will fund their part of it.