(The Center Square) – North Carolina’s longest most susceptible coastal road to flooding that averages about $1 million in maintenance costs annually was getting cleared again Monday.
As high tide rolled in just after lunch Monday, Department of Transportation crews continued work to clear sand and water from NC12 on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Crews were working on Hatteras, Pea and Ocracoke Islands. The tide was due at 1:19 p.m.
NC12 was closed on Hatteras and Ocracoke. Video circulated on social media showing vehicles in poor decisions trying to traverse the washed out areas.
Throughout the weekend, a nor’easter delivered rain, wind and flooding to the state’s coastal communities. Widespread totals were 4 to 5 inches of rain with wind gusts hitting 40 to 50 mph.
The National Weather Service measured nearly 3 inches of rain at Cape Hatteras and more than 3½ at Newport and Morehead City from Friday through Sunday.
Over the last decade, the state has spent an estimated $9.6 million on NC12 – or just under $1 million a year. Additionally, another $33.5 million has been spent on weather-related emergency repairs.
NC12 is the lifeline for the communities inhabiting Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, from hospitals to emergency response to waste collection. It serves as the primary evacuation route for approaching hurricanes and bad storms.
The state has identified three sections of the highway south of Rodanthe in need of improvements. One is the Buxton Canadian Hole near Old Lighthouse Road, a 4.7-mile stretch to Ocean View Drive in Avon.
Another is in Hatteras Village from Elizabeth Avenue north nearly 2 miles to Marlin Drive in Frisco. And a third is on Ocracoke Island, a 4-mile stretch from south of the ferry terminal.
