Emergency repairs to the roadway will require the northbound lanes of West U.S. 158 near Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head to close for as long as three weeks starting on Monday.
That means traffic heading north will have to use the Beach Road as a detour through part of Historic Cottage Row.
The closure will not impact the southbound lanes of East U.S. 158 between the north entrance to Jockey’s Ridge State Park and the street that runs along the south side of the park.
According to Nags Head Police Chief Perry Hale, a portion of South Croatan Highway between Conch and Hollowell streets has been damaged by leaks from an old water pipe.
The section of the road has been temporarily patched, with plans to fully resurface it to more evenly match the rest of the highway’s condition after it was just repaved in 2024.
But with the colder-than-normal temperatures this past winter, the initial repair project had to be delayed until just recently, and the full repaving was delayed until this week.
Beginning on April 21, northbound through traffic will be detoured starting at Soundside Road over to South Virginia Dare Trail and then up to Hollowell Street.
Businesses across from Jockey’s Ridge up to Conch Street will still be accessible along South Croatan Highway.
Large vehicles and trucks will need to go back southbound and use Soundside Road to continue north, due to the narrow width of Conch Street, according to the town.
Hale acknowledged it is not the best time to conduct a major closure of the bypass, as it starts when local and many out-of-town public schools will be on Spring Break.
“As we all know, detours can be annoying and inconvenient, but please exercise caution and consideration for the workers who are just doing their jobs,” the town said in a news release.
Hale added that the closure is planned to last up to three weeks “as a worst-case scenario,” and it is anticipated the bypass will reopen ahead of that time frame.
