One Road On and Off – Open Again!

Bonner Bridge and N.C. 12, the main lifelines to the Outer Banks, will re-open to traffic today at noon to permanent residents displaying valid ID and essential personnel of critical businesses with passes only. Dare County will determine when visitors can return. NCDOT crews worked throughout yesterday and overnight to make the route safe for travel.

“I want to thank our entire team for their service and hard work on the July 4th national holiday to get N.C. 12 and the Bonner Bridge reopened so quickly after the storm," said NCDOT Sec. Tony Tata. "Safety is always our first priority, but we also know how important it is to get our Hatteras Island residents back home, and our beach tourism back on line."

Additional information about visitor re-entry will be determined today. Updates are available on the Dare County Emergency Management website.

N.C. 12 was impassable yesterday due to sand, water and downed power lines left on the road in the wake of Hurricane Arthur. The road was closed from south of the Bonner Bridge to Ocracoke Island.

Pockets of sand and water remain on the road, so drivers should be extra cautious. There will also be a single lane condition at the temporary bridge to a damaged crane. The lane closure will be controlled by a portable traffic signal, which may lead to some delays in this area.

A scour survey and analysis of the Bonner Bridge conducted by NCDOT crews confirmed that the bridge is safe to reopen. However, there was some loss of sand around the pilings at several locations that will require additional monitoring.

NCDOT provides real-time information about weather and travel conditions through its Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, including the NCDOT Facebook page,  N.C. 12 Facebook page and NCDOT Ferry Facebook page. Additional information about the storm is available on the department’s other social media and web-based tools, which are easily accessible on the NCDOT website.