OUTER BANKS, N.C. — NC-12 in Dare County has reopened north of Hatteras due to severe ocean overwash, according to NCDOT.
NC-12 is still closed between the National Park Service Pony Pen and the Ocracoke-South Dock Ferry Terminal on Ocracoke Island in Hyde Co.
Nevertheless, the North Carolina Department of Transportation warned of continued high water on the roadway and urged caution for travelers.
The highway does remain closed on the north end of Ocracoke Island until Tuesday at the earliest, according to NCDOT. Ferry service between Hatteras and Ocracoke remains suspended as well.
“Every storm’s a little different,” said Tim Haas, spokesperson for NCDOT District 1. “Every storm comes in a different direction and blows winds a different direction.”
Sunday’s storm not only brought the usual rain and ocean overwash, but it also caused dunes to breach on NC-12 between Frisco and Hatteras village and on the north end of Ocracoke IsIand, leaving the roadway impassible.
Haas explained the process that crews go through to clear NC-12 following a storm.
“What we do after that is we go in there,” Haas said. “We clear the road of the sand and then we rebuild the protective dunes to keep the ocean from coming back over the road.”
The stretches most affected by the storm are just some of the hot spots identified by a task force made up of officials from NCDOT, Dare and Hyde Counties, and the National Park Service among other stakeholders. They're trying to reduce the disruptions these closures cause.
“They’re looking at long -term solutions,” Haas said. “Right now as NCDOT, our job is to keep the road open as much as we can and reopen it when it closes and that’s what we’re doing.”
Haas said with more storms likely during the winter season, travelers should monitor NCDOT’s websites and social media pages for the very latest on preparations and closures.
