Hurricane Earl left N.C. 12 covered with two to three feet of water in some places on the Outer Banks, and the narrow road will remain closed south of Oregon Inlet at least until high tide at 3:10 p.m. today.
“Twelve is shut down from Oregon Inlet all the way through Ocracoke,” said Sterling Baker, who oversees road maintenance for NCDOT in 14 northeastern counties.
Road crews quickly removed as much as three feet of sand covering parts of N.C. 12 on Ocraoke Island, but the biggest problem is flooding from Pamlico Sound.
“The sand on the road, in comparison to other storms, is minimal,” Baker said. “It is mostly a water issue. We have two to three feet of water in some locations on N.C. 12, from sound-side flooding.”
Most ferry routes are still closed. The Cherry Branch ferry is on an abbreviated schedule, and the Pamlico River ferry resumed operation at 9:45 a.m. The Southport ferry is on a normal schedule.
The Coast Guard and ferry and Dare County officials are checking channel depths to determine whether it is safe to resume ferry traffic to Ocracoke from Swan Quarter and Hatteras and Cedar islands.
State and county officials will make announcements when N.C. 12 and the other ferry routes are reopened for Labor Day weekend travelers.
