Highway 12 officially reopened to traffic this evening at 6 p.m.
By IRENE NOLAN
By IRENE NOLAN
By IRENE NOLAN
IT’S OPEN!!
Highway 12 officially reopened to traffic this evening at 6 p.m.
Island Free Press writer Anne Bowers reported from the south side of the temporary bridge on Pea Island there were northbound headlights for as far as she could see back toward Rodanthe.
A steady stream of northbound vehicles approached the bridge, honking their horns and waving at North Carolina Department of Transportation officials and television and newspaper reporters and cameramen who gathered with them to document the grand opening.
The group was expecting another steady stream of traffic from the north to approach the two-lane temporary metal bridge at any time.
Bowers said the opening came about a half hour after DOT had announced it would because of a tractor-trailer stuck in the sand on the north end of the bridge.
Highway 12 has been closed from the Bonner Bridge to Rodanthe since Hurricane Irene cut several breaches at the S-Curves and on Pea Island.
The reopening has been eagerly anticipated for weeks by islanders with cabin fever and visitors who had been required to reach Hatteras via ferries from the mainland and through Ocracoke.
When Highway 12 reopened, the state of emergency for Hatteras Island was lifted by Dare County Emergency Management and residents and visitors can now enter to the previously restricted villages of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo.
There will be no travel restrictions in effect for any portion of Hatteras Island, including Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras Village.
Motorists are advised that some secondary roads on Hatteras Island may still have storm-related debris and they should exercise caution.
The NCDOT Ferry Division has suspended the emergency ferry service from Stumpy Point on the Dare County mainland to Rodanthe.
You can look for the full story on the reopening, along with all the hoopla and fanfare, in a story by Anne Bowers and a slide show by photographer Don Bowers later tonight.
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