RODANTHE — North Carolina declared a state of emergency in Dare and Hyde counties as repeated coastal storms damaged N.C. Highway 12, closed the main road to Hatteras Island and triggered emergency ferry service.
Gov. Josh Stein said the declaration will allow the state to coordinate restoration work and support a pending request for Federal Highway Administration emergency relief. N.C. 12 is a federal-aid highway, and the state says the declaration is required for the damaged road to qualify for that relief. No federal repair award or final repair cost has been announced.
The latest damage follows two coastal storms in less than a month. State transportation crews estimated Wednesday that ocean water had undermined about 800 feet of pavement near the Pea Island Visitor Center and that more than 1,800 feet of protective dunes had been lost. Island Free Press reported additional pavement and dune damage Thursday, but NCDOT had not issued revised measurements.
The highway remains closed between the Marc Basnight Bridge at Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe, with no estimated reopening date. Continued overwash and high-tide cycles must subside before crews can fully assess the damage and determine the work needed to restore travel.
NCDOT activated 24-hour emergency ferry service between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point to provide a temporary link between Hatteras Island and the mainland. Island Free Press reported that three ferries are operating the route and that each one-way crossing takes about two hours.
The closure carries an immediate business consequence for communities that rely on N.C. 12 for employees, deliveries, customers and visitor travel. The emergency ferry route preserves limited access, but it does not replace normal highway capacity for residents, freight and the Outer Banks tourism economy.
The state action advances the funding and coordination process rather than completing it. Repair scope, cost, federal participation and a reopening schedule remain undetermined while coastal conditions continue to affect the damaged corridor.