OUTER BANKS, N.C. (WAVY) — Road crews are shoring up dunes and have already placed heavy equipment in key locations along the Outer Banks in advance of weekend storms.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says NC Route 12 is especially vulnerable to sand overwash and flooding. Parts of the area are still recovering from damage in early September from Hurricane Dorian.
“We had about 1000 feet (of NC 12) on Ocracoke Island that was severely damaged, and it’s because of that that we’ve had that roadway closed to vehicular traffic since that time,” said NCDOT Assistant Communications Director Jamie Kritzer.
NCDOT was planning to reopen the road next Friday, but Kritzer says, with heavy weather looming, it’s impossible to predict when traffic on Ocracoke will get back to normal.
Heavy equipment worked to shore up dunes Friday afternoon south of the Marc Basnight Bridge.
Crews will be in place Saturday morning on standby to respond up and down the Outer Banks for as long as is necessary.
WAVY Chief Meteorologist Don Slater was calling for six inches of rain or more to hit the Outer Banks this weekend.
