Three meetings have been scheduled for the public to learn more about a plan intended to improve public access to the main highway for the Outer Banks.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is working with the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and other federal and local agencies to develop a plan for a section of N.C. 12 in Dare County.
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The vulnerable, 11-mile stretch of two-lane highway between the Marc Basnight Bridge and the Rodanthe “Jug Handle” Bridge is bordered closely on either side by the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound and regularly experiences closures and maintenance issues from repeated storm damage.
Being called the Solving Access for N.C. 12 in Dare County, or SAND, Plan, the group began work in January on short- and long-term solutions to reduce travel disruptions for that section of roadway.
NCDOT representatives will be available to answer questions, facilitate public surveys, and receive comments during the following drop-in informational meetings, all scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m.:
- April 28 at the Hatteras Civic Center.
- April 29 at the Rodanthe Waves Salvo Community Building.
- April 30 at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head.
The SAND project is funded with $1.86 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost Saving Transportation, or PROTECT, grant program.
“The plan aims to minimize environmental impacts and account for community considerations and the costs and feasibility of those solutions,” according to the release.
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The team is using the Planning and Environment Linkages process to streamline future environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. Community stakeholder and public input is being considered important to the process as the plan is developed.
“By addressing environmental requirements in the planning stages, project managers can avoid having to duplicate studies and tackle major environmental hurdles that could delay projects and increase the costs to deliver them,” officials said.
Written comments can be submitted at any of the public meetings or by calling at 984-205-6615 and entering project code 2463, by email at nc-12-access@ncdot.gov or on NCDOT’s public input portal.
Comments during this round of engagement must be provided by May 15. Additional public meetings will be held in the summer and fall. More information can be found on NCDOT’s website.
