OUTER BANKS, N.C. — Another coastal storm will put Highway 12 to the test starting Saturday afternoon. In late September, a nor'easter caused 1,000 feet of damage to a stretch near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and cut off Hatteras Island by road for nearly a week.
"We could be right back at square one," said Jamie Kritzer, assistant director of communications for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Kritzer is talking about the impacts the storm could have on the recently rebuilt stretch of N.C. 12 on Pea Island. Crews worked day and night to get the road reopened last time. At first, that was through a one-lane gravel road detour, but for most of October, the brand-new asphalt and reinforced dune line have gotten the road back to normal.
"I think anytime you have back-to-back storms like this, and you've just completed some really difficult work to get that road back reopen, it is definitely a concern among us as well as the residents and visitors there that this could happen again," said Kritzer.
NCDOT is telling neighbors and visitors to prepare for possible closures of Highway 12. Equipment has already been positioned for use if needed on Pea Island, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island.
The emergency ferry, which was activated during the last storm for the first time since 2013, will also be on standby.
"The emergency ferry is certainly something that we will have ready," said Kritzer.
Our Hatteras Island neighbors are already preparing to potentially be cut off at some point in the coming days. Brian Harris, who lives in Buxton, feels a washout along the stretch of N.C. 12 on Pea Island is inevitable.
"I don't think there's a prayers chance of that road being there. I think that's the general consensus here on the island too," said Harris.
As the storm rolls in, drivers are encouraged to use caution on Highway 12, especially during high-tide cycles. If the road is closed, drivers should not go around the barricades for their safety. You can see road condition updates at DriveNC.gov and on the NCDOT N.C. 12 Facebook page here.
Dare County has also put out safety information for neighbors and visitors about the storm on its Facebook page here.
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