DUCK, N.C. — Overwash and erosion threatening a stretch of N.C. 12 may be something we think of mostly on Hatteras Island. But it's exactly what about a quarter-mile stretch of N.C. 12 on the soundside in the town of Duck faced for years. Almost 2½ years ago, the town finished its "Living Shoreline and Resiliency Project" to protect that stretch.
The project is now being recognized nationally by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association.
"This was a big risk that we went out on a limb because we had to," said Brenda Chasen, a member of the Duck Town Council.
The before-and-after pictures don't do this project justice. Sandy Cross, the town's planning and permit manager, says the roots of this project go back to 2019. Cross explains some of the key factors that made this project a necessity.
"Erosion, sea level rise, road protection-they were all critical parts of this project," said Cross.
Before the project, the stretch could see water and even rocks blown onto the road by strong storms and wind from the Currituck Sound. The completed project included raising the road around 2½ feet, installing a sidewalk, adding durable rocks, improving stormwater flow, restoring native marsh and the installation of breakwater structures that included vinyl sills.
"They will allow water and sediment to pass through, but at the same time they're going to reduce wave energy," said Cross.
Now just two weeks ago, ASBPA awarded the town's project as one of its "best restored shores" of 2026.
"What we have seen since the completion of this project speaks volumes, and so we're really excited. Since the project completion, we have not had any instances of road overwashing, we have not had any rocks ending up on the road. We have, however, seen 20 to 25 different new species appear," said Cross.
There are many things the town can be proud of with this project. One is keeping critical access to N.C. 12.
"This is the only north-south corridor, it's the only real road coming through here, going up north. We've got to maintain it for safety, for people to get where they need to, to get home, we've got to be able to protect the people during the storms, before the storms," said Chasen.
The other is being able to show other coastal communities that projects like these are possible for them as well.
"We had felt like we knew what was going on but it's never been done before. You can't just go, 'oh, hey, let me go look and see what someone else did.' We are that someone else," said Chasen.
The completed project cost just over $4 million with most of that coming from a number of partners, Cross shared just how many made it possible.
"We had National Fish and Wildlife, we had Dare County Tourism, we had Dare County Soil and Water, who helped with the funding for the plants, we had the North Carolina Department of Emergency Management and then FEMA," said Cross.
This project also had to be completed in a six-month period in the off-season, and that wouldn't have been possible without their contractors and engineers as well.
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