Vacationers Honk and Celebrate as the Islands Re-Open for Business
Footage provided by Dare County of this morning’s re-opening of N.C. Highway 12 south of the Bonner Bridge showed a long line of excited visitors ready to arrive.
The mandatory evacuation and subsequent checkpoint was lifted at 12 p.m. this afternoon, and many cars arrived early and parked in the lot north of the Bonner Bridge until restrictions were removed.
Several locals reported that it was slow going trying to reach Hatteras Island this morning, noting that traffic was backed up, and was at a virtual standstill at times, as more visitors waited to re-enter.
Once the checkpoint was lifted, however, cars started to ease onto southbound N.C. Highway 12, cheering and honking horns along the way.
The slow line of traffic flowing south on N.C. 12 continued into the afternoon, while area businesses reopened their doors for the new wave of vacationers.
CHEC was able to restore total power on Thursday evening, which lead to the 12 p.m. Friday re-opening of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.
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