Officials Hope to Reopen Northern Section of N.C. 12 by Wednesday

Per a Tuesday afternoon update, state transportation officials hope to reopen N.C. Highway 12 between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe on Wednesday if no additional damage is found.

The stretch of N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island has been closed since 5 p.m. Saturday. A powerful storm washed out several dunes and blew sand and ocean overwash onto the road.

As of Tuesday morning, NCDOT officials said they have not seen any structural damage to the road, and the road is no longer experiencing ocean overwash. However, areas of N.C. 12 between Rodanthe and Oregon Inlet are still covered with standing water and sand.

NCDOT crews and contractors are continuing to clear sand and debris from the highway to make the road safe for travel.

NCDOT crews also inspected N.C. 12 on Ocracoke Island Monday afternoon and saw no additional structural damage. Transportation officials say the storm caused some dune breaches on Ocracoke Island within the area still being repaired from Hurricane Dorian. This portion of N.C. 12 has remained closed since Dorian struck in early September. Last weekend’s storm will delay this Friday’s scheduled reopening of the Ocracoke Island section of N.C. 12. At this time, officials are still assessing the road to determine what repairs will be needed to enable the road to be reopened.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.