Transportation along the Outer Banks is beginning to return to normal in the aftermath of Hurricane Erin’s close pass.
N.C. Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island, which ocean water washed over and partially undermined during storm-amplified high tides, was set to reopen at 5 p.m. Monday.
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The Hatteras-Ocracoke vehicle ferry was to begin service also at 5 p.m. with an amended schedule overnight followed by a full schedule Tuesday morning.
The ferry schedule tonight is as follows:
- Departures from Hatteras at 5, 6, 7:30, 8, 9, 11 p.m. and midnight.
- Departures from Ocracoke at 6, 6:30, 7:30, 9, 9:30, 10:30 p.m. and midnight.
The ferries will resume the regular summer schedules on Tuesday.
“Keep in mind, there will be some water and a thin skim of sand on the highway, so please drive with extreme caution if heading that way,” North Carolina Department of Transportation officials said in a Facebook post. “Our crews will also be continuing to work on the road, so please give them room to work.”
N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island reopened Saturday, and those who had evacuated were allowed to return. The Marc Basnight Bridge reopened at noon Saturday.
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The highway was closed the evening of Aug. 20 after severe overwash from Hurricane Erin inundated a section of the highway with deep water and sand north of the National Park Service Pony Pens. Since then, NCDOT crews have been working to clear N.C. 12 between high tide cycles to make the road safe for travel.
Also, the Buxton Woods Reserve site of the North Carolina Coastal has reopened after being closed since Aug. 18 because of the potential risks associated with the storm.
