North Carolina Highway 12

NC 12 is a North Carolina state highway that traverses the northeastern shoreline of North Carolina, linking the islands of the Outer Banks. It is a popular route for visitors touring the Outer Banks. Most sections of NC 12 are two lanes wide and three segments of the route are connected by ferries.

Route description

Beginning at its northern terminus in Corolla, North Carolina (near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse), NC 12 (affectionately known as the "Beach Road") travels south along the Bodie Island shoreline through the cities of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head before entering the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Before crossing over Oregon Inlet to Pea Island, NC 12 passes by Bodie Island Lighthouse. Continuing south, the highway crosses onto Hatteras Island, site of the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. In the town of Hatteras, North Carolina, vehicles following NC 12 board a free ferry to Ocracoke Island, home of the Ocracoke Lighthouse. In the community of Ocracoke, NC 12 follows a toll ferry to Cedar Island where the route continues 12 miles to Sealevel and ends at U.S. Highway 70.

Attractions along the way

• Currituck Beach Lighthouse at Corolla
• Wright Brothers Memorial at Kill Devil Hills
• Jockey's Ridge at Nags Head
• Bodie Island Lighthouse within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore
• Cape Hatteras Lighthouse near Buxton
• Ocracoke Lighthouse near the village of Ocracoke
• Portsmouth on Portsmouth Island (view only from ferry)

Hurricane Isabel

Hatteras Island was cut in two on September 18, 2003 by Hurricane Isabel which opened a new inlet 3,000 feet (910 m) wide and 30 feet (9.1 m) deep through the community of Hatteras Village on the southern end of Hatteras Island. This new inlet was temporarily named the Isabel Inlet after the hurricane. Road access along NC 12 was temporarily severed until the island was repaired and restored by sand pumped ashore by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Hurricane Irene

NC 12 was severed in two places by Hurricane Irene in late August 2011. The road was breached by two small inlets, about 200 feet (61 m) across apiece, in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, and north of Rodanthe. As a result, the only way to access Hatteras Island was by ferry. On October 10, 2011, a temporary bridge opened over the largest breach. The bridge, which is 662 feet (202 m) long, could be in place for more than 10 years while other solutions are thought out.^[1]

History

• 1920s: NC 12 is born as a route from Pollocksville, North Carolina (near New Bern) to the Virginia border, through Kinston, Rich Square, Tarboro, and Murfreesboro.
• 1934: NC 12 north of Kinston was truncated and US 258 took its place.
• 1950s: NC 58 completely took over NC 12's remaining route and NC 12 was decommissioned.
• 1962: A road linking the southern and central Outer Banks communities is paved and designated as NC 12.
• 1963: A bridge across Oregon Inlet is constructed and NC 12 is routed along it. This bridge was built to eliminate the need for ferry service to and from Hatteras Island and to provide a quick hurricane evacuation route.
• 1987: NC 12 is extended north of Nags Head along the Virginia Dare Trail (then Business US 158).
• 1988: NC 12 is extended further to Corolla, its present northern terminus.
• 2003: Hurricane Isabel created the Isabel Inlet, severing NC 12's link to the lower Hatteras Island communities. This segment of shoreline was later filled and the missing NC 12 roadway was rebuilt, this time farther from the shore. This is NC 12's current alignment.
• 2007: Subtropical Storm Andrea caused high winds to push waves over dunes and onto the highway on Hatteras Island, leaving water a foot deep and sand 2 to 3 feet (0.91 m) deep in some places.^[2]
• 2011: Hurricane Irene washed out more than one section of the highway.^[3]

Junction List

See also

• Cedar Island
• Hatteras Island
• Oregon Inlet
• North Carolina Ferry System

References

External links

• NCRoads (mirror) - NC 12
• Cape Hatteras Nat'l Seashore - NC 12 through Cape Hatteras