OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C. (AP) - The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Thursday that N.C. 12 on Ocracoke Island will reopen to all traffic, three months after Hurricane Dorian severely damaged the island and it’s main road.
The September storm destroyed the protected dune line between the highway and the ocean, breaking and buckling about 1,000 feet (304 meters) of pavement, the agency wrote in a news release.
The agency awarded $1.77 million to RPC Contractors and since then the contractors have been installing sandbags, reconstructing the dune line and repaving the roadway.
The roadway was initially set to open on Nov. 22, but another storm impacted the area causing a delay.
The island is now open to visitors. Full ferry service between Hatteras and Ocracoke’s South Dock terminal is running on a winter schedule.
“We couldn’t be more pleased that we’re able to reopen this vital lifeline,” said NCDOT Division One Engineer Jerry Jennings. “We know how important N.C. 12 is to Ocracoke, and we hope this will help speed the island’s recovery process from Hurricane Dorian.”
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