RODANTHE, N.C. — The storm that battered the Outer Banks all week is finally leaving, but the only highway on Hatteras Island is not reopening any time soon. N.C. Highway 12 is still blocked from Oregon Inlet’s Marc Basnight Bridge south to Rodanthe, and state transportation officials have not set a date for traffic to return.
Josephine, which formed off the coast as a low along last weekend’s cold front, picked up tropical traits over the Gulf Stream and was named a subtropical storm by the National Hurricane Center as its winds climbed to 65 mph on Wednesday. It has since lost those tropical traits and is racing northeast into the North Atlantic, so rough surf and high waves should ease through the weekend.
The damage is concentrated near the Pea Island Visitor Center. The state Department of Transportation earlier counted roughly 800 feet of damaged pavement and more than 1,800 feet of lost protective dunes there, and more damage was reported Wednesday night. Ocean water washed over the same stretch again at the 6 a.m. high tide on Friday. Crews have to wait for the tides and overwash to drop before they can fully size up repairs and rebuild the dunes.
Gov. Josh Stein put Dare and Hyde counties under a state of emergency on Thursday and asked the Federal Highway Administration for emergency relief money to fix the road after back-to-back coastal storms. Approval of that help has not been announced.
This is the second hit to the same section in under a month. A late-September nor’easter damaged about 1,000 feet of pavement near the visitor center, and two lanes did not reopen until Oct. 3 after crews built a temporary detour.
In the meantime, the state Ferry Division is running an emergency route between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point. Dare County’s mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island visitors is still in effect, so visitors cannot go onto the island, though anyone still there can ride the ferry off. Boats headed to Rodanthe are limited to permanent residents, essential workers, eligible property owners and island business employees. Eligible Hyde County residents can use the route to reach Ocracoke.
The coast is not in the clear yet. King tides tied to Monday’s full moon could add to beach hazards, and strong northeast winds are in the forecast for next week. Road conditions are posted at DriveNC.gov, and ferry information is available at 1-800-BY-FERRY.
Section: More Outer Banks NC crime news
Filed under: Outer Banks NC Traffic News
