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.

Updates: Temporary Bridge, Rodanthe and The Emergency Ferry

What's Happened? What's Next?

Paving 
As you may know, paving at the temporary bridge was completed yesterday.  Replacement of guardrail is the only remaining work there and that should begin today or tomorrow.  A temporary signal with a one lane traffic pattern will be in place at the temporary bridge until the guardrail is completed.

Paving of the repaired spans on Bonner Bridge were completed on Monday.
 
In an effort to reduce the length of the closed areas that have to be managed, Dare County is moving the checkpoints south of the temporary bridge.  

All other work with the exception of guardrail at the temporary bridge is complete.

S-Curves
At Rodanthe, sandbag installation continues along the east side of NC 12.  The contractor is working from south to north.  Additionally, removal of damaged pavement is set to begin on Monday. 

Monday Ferry Schedule Note
  
On Monday, Dec. 3, the 10 p.m. emergency ferry departure from Stumpy point to Rodanthe will be delayed so that a davit cable for the lifeboat on the Motor Vessel Hatteras can be replaced.  More details.

Now that it's calmed down a bit...

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the wind, tide and overall weather situation calmed down some and if you're a regular follower of our Facebook page or Twitter account, you know the four-wheel drive access has not been closed quite as frequently.

Four-wheel drive access on Friday, Nov

While surf conditions have calmed considerably,  normal tides are still at the edge of the old road. Traffic through the holiday weekend was very heavy over the four-wheel drive access, which was able to remain open through high tide on Saturday and Sunday.  Today at Rodanthe sandbag installation began at the south end. 

 

So, with the improving weather, what's next?  

  

Our engineers are out looking at the trouble spots today and tomorrow, and are evaluating options.  As soon as details are available we will let you know. 

We've also had some questions regarding other issues related to NC 12, beyond the S-curves/Rodanthe trouble spot:

 

Bonner Bridge: Paving is expected to take approximately one day.  Once that's finished, the crews will then move down to the temporary bridge to begin work.

Signal timing @ temporary bridge: The timing of this signal will not be changed. There was more traffic over the holiday.  Things should be back to a more ‘normal’ rate this week. Also, paving will begin at this site tomorrow and the temporary signal might be replaced with flaggers during paving hours. 

  

Four-wheel Drive Access times: Dare County Sheriff’s Department is escorting vehicles until 10 p.m. Safety and traffic volume are the main reasons for the 10:00 p.m. closure time.

Time and Tide - Watch the Charts

The 4WD access section on N.C. 12 near the S-curves can be closed intermittently because of of overwash.  The overwash is largely the result of surf, surge and winds from the storms headed our way.  Low tide times is when the road is most likely to be affected and close.  Keeping up with the tide chart can help you plan your trip.

NC12 For Facebook

We've created a new NC 12 Facebook page to help keep all the information about the weather's effects on NC 12 in one place.  Please visit the page and take a "liking" to it!

Temporary Bridge Repair Update: Getting Close to Wrapping Up

NCDOT crews have finished the guardrail work affecting traffic on the N.C.12 temporary bridge. This afternoon,the permanent metal guardrail was installed. Work continues dredging sand to the south side of the inlet to reinforce the shoreline and to anchor the armor stone protecting the bridge. If the weather hold outs this weekend and next week, work will begin to fill approximately 100 sand bags which will be placed between the new sheet piling. The sand bags are five feet wide, 15 feet long & two feet tall. It's possible that next week, we may have to close a lane over the bridge for a small portion of a day or two while we load equipment necessary to finish the job.

Update of Repairs to the Temporary Bridge - with Photos

As of yesterday afternoon, approximately 2,500 tons of armor rock have been placed around the bridge. The tides and currents have been favorable, allowing the rock to be installed against the new sheet pile that extends into the water from the south end of the bridge. More rock is needed against the existing sheet pile on the west side. Rock placement is also underway at the end of the new sheet pile on the east side.

Weather and tide permitting, the rock placement could be complete next week. Temporary lane closures began January 18th near the temporary bridge so crews could install protective measures to prevent erosion near the south end of the bridge.

More photos of the repair work on Flickr

Ocracoke Workshop Tomorrow

Tomorrow's the last of three public workshops to discuss long-term solutions for the breaches on N.C. 12 caused by Hurricane Irene.  The informal, drop-in style workshop begins at 5 p.m. at the Ocracoke Community Center. Starting at 4:00 p.m. we'll be live tweeting from the community center, via the @NCDOT and @NCDOT_NC12 Twitter accounts. Join the conversation by following the hashtag #NC12NextSteps. We can't promise we'll be able to answer all the questions, but we'll try! And remember, if you have any comments you'd like submitted for official review, please email them to to bsmyre@ncdot.gov - the Twitter conversation is informal, but informational, and we hope it will be fun! By the way, you can download the meeting packet here and the maps are on line as well. Hope to see you tomorrow!

Christmas Parade Love for the Temporary Bridge!

NC 12 Update for 12/15/11

NC 12 Update for 12/15/11

The N.C. Department of Transportation met today with representatives of state and federal agencies to discuss which design options NCDOT should continue to study as viable, long-term solutions for the N.C. 12 breaches on Pea Island and in Rodanthe. The group, called the Merger Team, reached a general consensus to narrow down the options at both breaches.

“There are laws and regulations associated with some of the options that we are not likely to be able to meet,” said NCDOT Chief Operating Officer Jim Trogdon. “By focusing our efforts on the most realistic options, we can more efficiently develop long-term fixes for N.C. 12 that will provide a reliable way for people to get to jobs and education.”

At the Pea Island breach, the general consensus reached by the Merger Team includes eliminating the beach nourishment option, as well as the options to build a new road or bridge west of where N.C. 12 is currently. The remaining option would allow NCDOT to build a bridge where the road now stands.

At the Rodanthe breach, the Merger Team generally agreed to eliminate the beach nourishment option. The remaining options include building a bridge within the easement and building a bridge that would extend into the Pamlico Sound.

NCDOT also agreed to work on another potential option suggested by representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. At this time, the idea, which involves bridging from north of the Pea Island breach through the Pamlico Sound to Rodanthe, is conceptual in nature, and NCDOT will meet with USFWS in the coming days to more concretely map it out.

The Merger Team must sign a form officially agreeing to narrow the existing options and allow for the inclusion of any new options before the process can go forward. The group expects that to happen within the coming weeks.

NCDOT Now and the Permanent Solution

Great Aerial Video of NC 12

 

Thanks to the folks at www.carolinadesigns.com  and to CDRobx for sharing this video of the completed work in NC12, including the temporary bridge. 

Permanent Solutions

NCDOT staff and partners met today to begin work on the long-term solutions for the section of N.C. 12 hard-hit by Hurricane Irene.

You can read more here about the session, but here are some of the options discussed:

For fixing the largest Pea Island breach:

• Beach renourishment;

• Constructing a bridge within the existing easement; and

• Building a bridge or road on a new location.

For fixing problems areas near Rodanthe:

• Beach renourishment;

• Building a bridge where the road now stands; and

• Constructing a bridge or road on a new location.

Some of the next steps in the overall process:

• Holding a panel discussion with experts in the fields of coastal science and engineering to learn about the changes in conditions along N.C. 12 resulting from Hurricane Irene, identify issues and constraints associated with future maintenance of the highway, and provide engineering advice on design parameters for long-term solutions at the two breach sites;

• Hosting public meetings to formally present the options to citizens, gather their input and answer their questions;

• Providing all feedback to the Merger Team and securing support to begin the permitting process; and

• Presenting a realistic, fundable, buildable design plan to Gov. Perdue.

The process to develop permanent solutions for the two breaches on N.C. 12 is a continuation of work already under way as part of the Bonner Bridge Replacement Project. Phase one of the project involves replacing the 2.7-mile bridge over Oregon Inlet, which is currently in the design stage. The project also includes an active coastal monitoring program that uses scientific data to determine what types of improvements are needed on N.C. 12 between Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and Rodanthe and when that work will occur. Using this program, NCDOT will enact phase two of the project, which will permanently fix the areas damaged by Hurricane Irene.

NCDOT Now Takes a Ride on the Temporary Bridge!

This week's edition of NCDOT Now, the department's weekly video news update, is now available.

It takes you across the temporary bridge crews built over the largest breach of N.C. 12 on Pea Island caused by Hurricane Irene and shows the paving work done to reopen the highway to traffic as quickly as possible.

Now What?

 

Now that the temporary bridge is done and N.C. 12 is open all the way down Hatteras, what happens next? Stay tuned to this blog, ncdot.gov and on Twitter @NCDOT_NC12 for updates and info on the next phase of the post-Hurricane Irene era for this iconic roadway.  In the meantime, we'll try to keep you updated on other events and news happening in and around the area.  Feel free to send us suggestions for how you'd like us to stay in touch!

A Step Forward: N.C. 12 Reopens

And It's Open!!

 

This was the scene on NC12 at Pea Island at about 6:00 p.m. yesterday! 

It's next Tuesday!

Or maybe sooner!

N.C. 12 Update 10/05/2011 


 The N.C. Department of Transportation will reopen N.C. 12 no later than Tuesday, Oct. 11 after the road has been closed due to the damage caused by Hurricane Irene in August.

 “Our hope is to open before then, but right now we are confident work will be complete on or before the 11th”, said resident engineer Pablo Hernandez.  “We will open to road earlier if we can.”

 At the Rodanthe breach area, crews completed paving the asphalt base for the road patches south of the mid Pea Island breach and began grading the sand for the roadway embankment leading to the southern end of the bridge.

At the temporary bridge location on Pea Island, crews worked all night and into the early hours to set deck panels at the north end of the bridge after it was completely lowered onto the permanent bridge bearing supports.

The southern half of the bridge is in the process of being lowered onto the bearing supports. Crews still need to install six of the 12 bridge bearing supports, anchor the bridge in place and finish installing deck panels; however, the following items are complete at the temporary bridge location:

Piling: all 82 piles driven.
Sheet Piling Bulkhead: all 726 linear feet installed.
Concrete Footings: all 12 footings poured.
Bridge Truss Spans: all 662 linear feet placed.

Jack Under the Wood

This photo came in with this morning's batch from the site of the temporary bridge on NC12 and out of context it might look a little strange, if not precarious:

So, what's going on here?

·           

      Yesterday, our crews installed hydraulic jacks underneath the bridge truss and began lifting it in order to remove the temporary roller bearings used to extend the bridge across the breach.  The jacks will also be used to lower the bridge onto the permanent bearings.  This is a very delicate procedure where the bridge is alternately supported on wood blocks and lowered with the jacks approximately  four to six inches at a time.  Eventually, the bridge will be lowered approximately two to five feet, depending on the location along the bridge alignment. 
  


      This week's NCDOT Now features video of the work on NC 12: