North Carolina Highway 12

NC 12
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length: 148 mi (238 km)
Existed: 1962 – present
Major junctions
South end: US 70 in Sealevel, NC
  US 64 / US 158 in Nags Head
US 158 in Kitty Hawk via Ocean Blvd
North end: The North Beach Access Ramp North of Villages at Ocean Hill in Corolla, NC
Location
Counties: Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Carteret
Highway system

North Carolina Highway System

NC 11 US 13

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.

Contents

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

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

Junction List

County Location Mile Destinations Notes
Currituck Corolla North Beach Access Ramp NC 12 ends
Dare Whalebone US 64 west / US 158 west – Manteo, Kill Devil Hills
Carteret Sealevel US 70 NC 12 begins
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
     Concurrency terminus     Closed/Former     Incomplete access     Unopened

See also

References

External links