OUTER BANKS, N.C. — Hatteras Island's lifeline is closed indefinitely from the Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe. Waves from the coastal storm broke through the dune and also damaged N.C. 12 on Pea Island Thursday morning. A North Carolina Department of Transportation official who's been there more than a decade tells News 3 it's damage he's never seen before.
Tyler Daley lives in Rodanthe but works in Wanchese. When Daley left for work Thursday morning, he didn't expect to not be able to go home.
"It's a first for me. I've been locked on the island for a couple days, but I've never been locked off of it," said Daley.
Right now, it's not clear when Daley will be able to get home as the Marc Basnight Bridge remains closed indefinitely.
"It's an uneasy feeling," said Daley.
Daley and others who call Hatteras Island home, along with tourists visiting, are stuck. The highway closing due to ocean overwash during a storm is nothing new, but the storm has actually caused nearly 500 feet of damage to the road near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.
"The dunes got breached, the road was overwashed with severe overwash, and so we closed the road at that time between the Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe. We have discovered in the meantime that some of the road, about a 500-foot section of NC-12, has been undermined and is undermined and/or damaged in that section," said Tim Hass, the communications officer for NCDOT Division One and Ferry Division.
Hass said that in his more than 13 years in his position, he's never seen this type of damage to the road before.
"I've been at NCDOT now more than 13-years and I have not seen damage at Pea Island liked that," said Hass.
Hass said they don't expect to reopen the bridge Thursday. NCDOT crews continue to assess the extent of the road damage and how they are going to address it.
"It's really impossible to say at this time how long it will take to fix or how extensive the repairs will have to be," said Hass.
With it being unclear when the bridge will reopen, News 3 Outer Banks reporter Will Thomas asked Hass about the potential use of an emergency ferry in Rodanthe.
"We're in consultation with Division One, we're in consultation with the Park Service, we'll continue to monitor and make a decision when that time comes. It's a little too early to say at this point," said Hass.
A lot remains unclear as the coastal storm continues to batter the community. For Daley, he has a friend he can stay with in Wanchese.
"I got a buddy that lives over in Wanchese that I can stay with. He's got a pretty cool dog named Copper that I like spending time with, there's a bright side there," said Daley.
But that doesn't make it any easier not knowing when he'll be able to get home to Rodanthe.
"It's a weird feeling and something I haven't experienced," said Daley.
With the coastal storm still affecting the coast and more high tide cycles on the way, NCDOT remains concerned that this isn't the end of the impacts on Pea Island. With conditions remaining dangerous, NCDOT discourages anyone from attempting to bypass road closed signs to get through Pea Island.
Drivers are encouraged to monitor DriveNC.gov for continued up-to-date information on road conditions as the community continues to navigate this storm.
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