N.C. Highway 12 to remain closed through Wednesday
N.C Highway 12 will remain closed from Oregon Inlet to the village of Rodanthe for the rest of the day Wednesday due to safety concerns surrounding the severity of the next two high tide cycles.
A stationary low pressure system has brought strong winds and large waves to the Outer Banks for the last four days, covering the highway with sand and deep ocean overwash at the Pea Island Visitor Center and the S-Curves just north of Rodanthe. Conditions at other locations on N.C. 12 between Rodanthe and Hatteras Village continue to be passable but difficult, with sand and standing ocean water at several locations.
N.C. Department of Transportation crews hope to reopen the road by mid-morning Thursday, depending on how much overwash is added by the high tide cycles today and overnight tonight. Crews have rebuilt a protective berm and sand dunes to prevent the road from being undermined and to minimize potential new ocean overwash. Those efforts will continue as conditions allow today and into tomorrow.
The weather forecast calls for slowly improving conditions beginning tonight into Thursday. Additional overwash is possible on Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday, starting with the next high tide at roughly 4:30 p.m. Ferry service for all Ocracoke Island routes remains suspended.
