We Have a Date!

Calm weather conditions have prevailed in Dare County and our crews have made significant repairs to N.C. 12 and we are now able to move to the next step - a   temporary solution to reconnect all traffic on Hatteras Island to points north of Mirlo Beach. This will be a multi-step process that will include installing sandbags, reconstructing dunes, and rebuilding the road near Rodanthe where Hurricane Sandy and a pair of Nor’easters damaged the highway.

What's Happening Now
Crews are currently placing 15-foot-long sandbags along a 0.4-mile section of N.C. 12 at the S-Curves just north of Rodanthe on Pea Island. In all, 1,800 new sandbags will go in to create a protective barrier between the ocean and the road. Once the sandbags are in place, we'll rebuild the dunes on top of the sandbags.

At the same time, broken pavement will be hauled off from this section of N.C. 12. After sandbags are installed at the most heavily damaged parts of the highway, crews will begin rebuilding the road where it was located before the series of storms hit. And as you know, all work is heavily dependent on the weather and tidal conditions.

Weather permitting, we hope to open the newly paved lanes of N.C. 12 to all traffic on or by Dec. 25. Until then, four-wheel drive vehicles must continue to pass through checkpoints at the temporary bridge on Pea Island and Mirlo Beach to travel between Hatteras Island and the mainland.

Motorists are reminded that any private vehicle larger than a one-ton truck cannot use the route in order to protect access and allow traffic to flow more efficiently. In addition, private trucks with trailers are not permitted. Two-wheel drive vehicles are not allowed on the route under any circumstance.
More information on N.C. 12 recovery efforts is available on our N.C. 12 Recovery webpage and N.C. 12 Facebook page. For the latest details on the emergency ferry route, as well as schedules for our regular ferry routes, call 1-800-BY-FERRY and press 1, or visit the NCDOT Ferry page.