A wall of sandbags extends along the roadside far into the distance aside N.C. Highway 12 on the north end of Ocracoke Island. This is where washouts and erosion from storm surge repeatedly chew away at the barrier island beach and roadway, part of the normal ocean dynamics that humans often try to control. Photo: Dylan Ray
N.C. 12
NC 12 to return to lower seasonal speed limits this week
Speed limits will be lowered starting Thursday in parts of Currituck and Dare counties ahead of peak travel season.
Dare County board tables action on Buxton zone of influence
Dare County Commissioners voted Monday during its regular meeting to table any decisions on an environmental zone of influence that borders Buxton Woods Reserve for 90 days.
Officials urge caution ahead of possible flooding, high winds
Forecasters expect a low-pressure system will impact eastern North Carolina Thursday and Friday, “bringing the potential for multiple hazards including: strong winds, coastal impacts, heavy rain, and a tornado or two.”
NC 12 to return to off-season speed limit, close briefly
Travelers using N.C. Highway 12 on the Outer Banks should expect the return to off-season speed limits Monday and expect a short delay in Rodanthe early Tuesday morning.
Team to study erosion’s impact on Ocracoke transportation
This multiyear study aims to answer questions on adaptation and mitigation strategies to improve transportation reliability and management of natural barrier island processes.
NC 12 speed limits to be reduced ahead of visitor season
NCDOT officials are dropping the speed limit in parts of Currituck and Dare counties ahead of the anticipated peak travel season.
Emergency sandbag work on NC 12 set to begin Monday
The work involves replacing about 800 sandbags damaged or displaced during recent storms and restoring the protective barrier between N.C. 12 and the Atlantic Ocean on the northern end of Ocracoke Island.
Ocracoke man dies on flooded Highway 12
Warren Howard Frantz died Tuesday after his vehicle hydroplaned and crashed off ocean-overwashed N.C. 12 at the north end of Ocracoke.
N.C. 12 speeds to be lowered for peak travel season
The speed limits for sections of N.C. 12 in Currituck and Dare counties will be lowered to 35 mph from the off-season speed limit of 45 mph.
Worsening conditions challenge Ocracoke ferry operations
Various solutions have been put forward to address persistent and increasingly disruptive problems affecting navigation in constantly changing Hatteras Inlet, a vital route for Outer Banks residents and the economy.
NCDOT delays Rodanthe bridge opening to repair markings
Pavement markings installed earlier this week do not meet NCDOT specifications and will need to be replaced.
‘Jug handle’ bridge to open mid-May at earliest: NCDOT
The soonest the Rodanthe “jug handle” bridge will open is mid-May because of damage to one of the bridge’s expansion joints, according to NCDOT.
Road removal through refuge delayed until next year
NCDOT says it will hold off on removing roadway and sandbags being bypassed by the Rodanthe bridge to allow the relocation of electrical transmission lines from the area along the current N.C. 12 to under the bridge.
Commission OKs turnaround area, sandbags for NC 12
The Coastal Resources Commission has given the N.C. Department of Transportation approval to build a turnaround and sandbag structure perpendicular to the shoreline where the existing highway will come to a dead end once the Rodanthe “jug handle” bridge is opened to traffic.
When bridge is complete, part of NC 12 may return to nature
Scientists expect to see dramatic changes after a vulnerable segment of the Outer Banks highway is bypassed later this year and vehicles are rerouted via the nearly completed Rodanthe bridge.