OUTER BANKS, N.C. — There remains no timeline for N.C. 12 to reopen, but the ocean calmed down enough for North Carolina Department of Transportation crews to begin the crucial work Sunday of restoring road access to Hatteras Island.
"They began work yesterday, trying to first of all remove the damaged pavement, rebuild the dune line, and then start to grade for the eventual work that we're going to be doing. We started that work yesterday, we're continuing it today. Of course, we're still seeing some high tide overwash that's sort of hampering that," said Tim Hass, communications officer with NCDOT Division One.
News 3 went to the emergency ferry terminal at Stumpy Point on Monday to see how operations are going. That's where we met Hatteras Island resident Jamie Pauls, who was on his way back home and happy to have a way to get there.
"Something is better than nothing. You gotta wait, I tried to make the last one, didn't work. But it just is what it is, and just like anything else down there," said Pauls.
The emergency ferry service between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe was activated Thursday and is currently running on a 24/7 schedule. Right now, ferries are the only way on and off the island for residents.
"It's critical to N.C. 12. It's the N.C. 12 detour route, and the ferry division is a big part of that," said Jed Dixon, the director of the North Carolina Ferry Division.
N.C. 12 road access has now been closed for a week after 1,200 feet of pavement near the Pea Island Visitor Center was damaged. Less than a month ago, 1,000 feet of this same stretch was damaged and rebuilt. The washout of the rebuilt stretch has renewed calls for changes to access to Hatteras Island.
"It shouldn't be happening as often as it's been happening. The writing's been on the wall for a long time," said Pauls.
Hatteras Island residents and Dare County leaders have told News 3 what they'd like to see for the future of N.C. 12 along the stretch near the Pea Island Visitor Center. In the short term, they'd like to see the road in this stretch moved farther west, away from the ocean. In the long term, they'd like to see elevated roads or bridges.
Hass tells News 3 that NCDOT is currently in preliminary discussions about moving the road farther west.
"We're working with Fish and Wildlife to try and get funding and try and get permission to actually move that section of roadway a little further west. Of course, that's still in the preliminary discussions right now. We need permits, we need environmental reviews, we need funding, of course. That is sort of the medium-term solution we're looking at implementing hopefully sooner than later," said Hass.
The Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Pea Island Visitor Center sits west of this damage-prone portion of N.C. 12. What happens with the visitor center will also have to be part of the discussions about moving N.C. 12.
"That's still in discussions as to whether it (N.C. 12) goes west of the visitor center or whether they change where the visitor center is and it goes through where it is right now," said Hass.
Hass made it clear these are still early discussions.
"We haven't gotten the permission from Fish and Wildlife, we haven't gotten the funding yet, but we are preparing for what we hope is that eventuality," said Hass.
At this time, N.C. 12 remains closed between the Marc Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe, with no exact timeline for its reopening. Hass shared what the work currently consists of to get the road back open.
"We have a three-point plan ready to go here on that area. Number one, we're going to make a one-lane paved detour through that area, regulated by a flagger system. Number two, after that's in place, we will use sandbags to reinforce that dune line to make it a little bit more protective of that roadway. Once those sandbags are in place, we will work to make it a two-lane highway again, right there at that spot," said Hass.
The state of emergency and mandatory visitor evacuation remain in effect for Hatteras Island, meaning visitors are still not allowed onto the island.
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