OCRACOKE, N.C. — Crews are readying a plan to repair a road that serves the as main transportation route on Ocracoke Island after it suffered large-scale damage at the hands of Hurricane Dorian.
After Dorian brought enormous storm surge and flooding to the shores of Ocracoke, state route N.C. 12 suffered extensive damage, leaving residents stranded in certain areas and the island shut off from entry.
An emergency contract was awarded to NCDOT to get repairs started to get the entire roadway on track to reopen by the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The department hopes construction will start soon after they obtain the contract next week.
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“Highway 12 is a critical lifeline for Ocracoke and the Outer Banks,” said NCDOT Division 1 Engineer Jerry Jennings. “It’s a priority for us to get the road reopened and help the people of Ocracoke Island recover from this devastating hurricane.”
Construction will involve sandbag installation, an entire reconstruction of the dune line to protect the road and a complete rebuilding of about 1,000 feet of roadway.
The contract set the date of Nov. 22 for reopening N.C. 12 if weather permits during repairs. However, the timeline allows some leeway, giving crews up until April 30 to get the job done if weather conditions are unfavorable.