Tuesday Evening Reopening of Highway 12 Iffy Due to Strong Morning High Tide
The NCDOT said on Tuesday afternoon that crews clearing N.C. Highway 12 in between Rodanthe and the Bonner Bridge have not found structural damage to the road itself so far. This means that once crews are able to get ahead of any additional sand and water being deposited on the road, N.C. Highway 12 will reopen fairly quickly.
The bad news, per the NCDOT, was that the morning high tide at roughly 10:30 a.m. deposited an additional 4-5 feet of sand at the Pea Island Visitors Center, and lesser amounts at other points along the highway.
NCDOT crews are continuing to work around the clock to clear the highway of sand and standing water, and will know in the next few hours when the road will be able to be reopened to the public.
Hot spots in Avon, North Buxton, and Mirlo Breach in Rodanthe still had standing water after the morning’s high tide, which included some deep spots in Avon.
On Ocracoke Island, the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes remain in operation, but the Ocracoke / Hatteras route is closed due to the road closures on both Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. If the roads reopen late this afternoon, service for the Hatteras / Ocracoke ferry will resume.
Dare County reported that there will be no residential or commercial trash collection on Hatteras Island Wednesday, March 7, due to the road conditions. Normal schedule will resume when conditions improve.
For more information, visit www.weather.gov/mhx for weather forecast information, or the National Weather Service office in Newport / Morehead City’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/NWSMoreheadCity/.
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