Expect 10 weeks of road closures on Ocracoke
Published November 23, 2007 by adminWork on the seven bridges along Rt. 12 on Ocracoke Island will get much-needed replacement beginning January 2, 2008, and road detours onto the beach will be necessary during that time.
Expected to be completed by mid-March, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) decided that doing all of the work in the winter while the roads and businesses are far less busy, and doing it all at once, is the best method of dealing with the project.
Locals on Ocracoke tend to agree. Cheryl Ballance, director of Ocracoke EMS, stated that the controlled situation expected with this upcoming project is a much better situation than what they experienced during the unexpected road closures brought about by Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
Traffic will be diverted onto the beach from near the pony pens for three miles to the last bridge over Island Creek. Obviously, 4 wheel drive will be a necessity for all vehicular traffic during the detours.
Hyde County, NCDOT and the National Park Service (NPS) have all assured that emergency and medical services will remain fully available and operational during the closures and detours.
The ramps will be modified to accommodate the traffic, the NPS plans to have rangers patrolling the beach for assistance, the ferry schedules will be modified and locals are urged to carpool when possible.
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