Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Pathway is open; Phase 1 will be fully complete by the end of 2024

Phase 1 of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Pathway Project is expected to be fully finished by the end of December 2024, but the new pathway is already being enjoyed by pedestrians and bikers who want a safer cruise along Lighthouse Road.

The first 1.6-mile-long phase of the pathway officially broke ground in November 2023, and a year later, the majority of the 10 to 12-foot-wide pathway is paved, marked, and open for foot and bike traffic.

“The paving of the multi-use pathway is complete, and the community is welcome to use the pathway,” said Mike Barber, Public Affairs Specialist for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The last pour of concrete along the multi-use pathway occurred on October 2, and the remaining touches include extra features that will be added to the pathway’s borders.

“Additional work is underway, including the fabrication of educational exhibits, trail maps, and benches,” said Barber. “New landscaping features, including a bollard and rope design, will also be installed at the entrance to the Light Station District at N.C. Highway 12.”

While active construction of the pathway has been occurring for the past year, the project has actually been decades in the making.

In 1984, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) prepared a General Management Plan that featured a number of proposed projects in the Buxton area, including a multi-use pathway on Lighthouse Road.

The project gained momentum in 2022 with a public comment period on the proposed designs, and in September 2023, a $3.2 million contract was awarded to Terra Site Constructors LLC of Virginia to build the new pathway.

Thanks to the National Park Service, funding from the Federal Highway Administration, and generous Outer Banks Forever sponsors and donors who contributed a total of $360,000, the new pathway was fully funded before construction began.

The current paved pathway extends from N.C Highway 12 to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, with a crossing near the pond on Lighthouse Road.

Once the pathway connects with the Old Lighthouse Beach parking area at a second road crossing, it skims through the parking lot to create a direct link from the roadway to the lighthouse – following the same route the lighthouse took when it was moved 2,900 feet from the ocean in 1999. (Note that there is a small section of the pathway in this area that is temporarily closed due to ongoing remediation efforts at Buxton Beach.)

Two speed bumps and two brief 10 mph zones have been added on Lighthouse Road near the two crossing areas as well.

Eventually, the pathway will extend from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to the Cape Point Campground – a phase of the project that will also entail elevating the often-flooded section of Lighthouse Road near ORV Ramps 43 and 44.

While the specific start dates for the next phases of the pathway have not been determined, with the first section nearly complete, the public has a new and safer way to explore one of the Outer Banks’ most popular attractions and Buxton destinations.

For more information:

To learn more about “Pathways to Your National Parks,” and how you or your business can support this project, visit www.obxforever.org/pathways.