Project underway to replace nearly 60 transmission poles on southern Hatteras Island

Vegetation along N.C. Highway 12 is being cleared to make way for new transmission poles in Avon as part of an island-wide project by Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC) to switch out existing wooden poles with sturdier, concrete replacements.

“CHEC contractor River City Construction, Inc. will work to replace 34 wood transmission poles on the Avon South circuit with concrete poles, and reconductor the Avon South circuit. They will also replace 25 wood poles in Frisco and Hatteras with concrete poles,” said Laura Ertle, CHEC Director of Public Relations & Marketing. “This project is part of our regulation construction work plan, and will be a great step towards continued grid reliability.”

Travelers along N.C. Highway 12 may also notice the recent addition of pink flags on the ground, close to the roadway. These flags mark the path of a new fiber expansion project that began in September 2024.

In this corresponding project, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation (NCEMC), in partnership with CHEC and ElectriCom Inc., will work to expand their cooperative fiber network by installing a new fiber line from Nags Head to Buxton.

The first phase has begun, and includes fiber installation in the villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, and Buxton. This phase of construction is expected to take approximately 18 weeks.

“NCEMC and CHEC began planning for this project after several communication outages affected Hatteras Island due to the volatile nature of the island’s current and only fiber line,” stated CHEC in a September press release. “This new fiber will greatly improve the reliability of NCEMC’s communications with its generation plant in Buxton, as well as CHEC’s communication abilities with its substations and the mainland.”