UPDATE: Both lanes of N.C. Highway 12 have reopened after vessel removal

Video by Brian McArthur

12:00 p.m. Wednesday Update: The vessel has been removed from the beach and both lanes of N.C. Highway 12 have reopened between Hatteras and Frisco as of noon on Wednesday. 

Hatteras Island visitors will experience travel delays along N.C. Highway 12, between Hatteras and Frisco, beginning around 11 a.m. today.

For up to two hours, the northbound lane of N.C. Highway 12 will be closed so a crane operator can safely remove a recently grounded vessel from the beach.

The 28-foot vessel named the Carol-ina grounded on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore during the early evening hours of Sunday, June 18.

A contractor for the owner of the Carol-ina submitted a work plan yesterday to the National Park Service to use a crane to lift the vessel over the dune and onto a trailer on the northbound lane of the highway. The National Park Service reviewed the work plan and approved a permit this morning for removal of the vessel after coordinating with the N.C. Department of Transportation, N.C. State Highway Patrol, Dare County Sheriff’s Office and Dare County Emergency Management.

Travelers can expect delays between Hatteras and Frisco during vessel removal operations. The southbound lane will be used to alternate the flow of traffic for most of the work period. The arrival of inclement weather may delay the start of work for a period of time.