North Carolina has spent tens of millions of public dollars maintaining NC Highway 12. Now, a price tag that could reach $1 billion may be on the horizon as transportation officials consider whether to keep repairing the Outer Banks route or pursue a major alternative.
The decision is in focus during the latest nor'easter damaged pavement and forced another closure along the highway. The state is studying several possibilities for an 11-mile stretch, including maintaining the road in its current location, relocating portions or building a bridge through Pamlico Sound.
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NC 12 is closed between Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe and on Ocracoke, between the ferry terminal and pony pens. The NCDOT is using the Hatteras ferries to carry road equipment onto the island.
“NCDOT is certainly working on longer-term solutions to this,” Tim Hass, communications officer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Division 1 and Ferry Division, told WRAL Friday. “But that takes political decisions. That takes money.”
Around $70 million was spent on NC 12 between 2010 and 2024 on routine maintenance and federal disaster work. That doesn't include broader beach nourishment projects along the Outer Banks.
Searching for a longer-term approach
North Carolina has known about the highway's vulnerabilities for decades. An NCDOT-sponsored study identified problem areas along NC 12 as far back as 1991.
Now, NCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are developing the Solving Access for N.C. 12 in Dare County, or SAND, Plan using federal grant money.
The study focuses on the stretch between the Marc Basnight Bridge and the Rodanthe “Jug Handle” Bridge and is evaluating potential improvements based on cost, feasibility and environmental and community impacts.
Laura Moore, a professor of earth, marine and environmental sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill whose research is contributing to the study, told WRAL Friday that every option comes with a cost.
“There are no options that don't involve significant tradeoffs,” Moore said.
Keeping the road in its current location leaves it exposed to a rapidly changing shoreline. Moving it farther inland presents geographic and environmental challenges. A bridge through Pamlico Sound could provide more reliable access but would require significant funding and years of planning and construction.
Moore said one concept could require a bridge roughly 17 miles long.
“It's also extremely expensive, and it takes a long time to gather the funding and go through the processes necessary to build a bridge like that,” she said.
Continuing to repair the existing road carries its own long-term costs.
“The shoreline is just moving extremely rapidly,” Moore said. “I think we're facing a situation now where continuing to maintain the road in that location is just not viable.”
What taxpayers are paying for
NC 12 is the primary transportation link for communities on Hatteras Island. About 4,000 permanent residents live there, and the highway also carries tourists and other visitors.
When storms push water and sand across the highway, NCDOT crews are in charge of clearing the pavement, rebuilding protective sand barriers and making repairs.
“Just like in the mountains they remove snow in the winter,” Hass said. “Out here, we remove sand and water from the road.”
The state has already turned to larger infrastructure projects where maintaining NC 12 became increasingly difficult. The Rodanthe “Jug Handle” Bridge opened in 2022, bypassing a section threatened by erosion.
Gov. Josh Stein has previously defended the public investment, pointing to the residents who depend on the road and the tourism dollars generated along the Outer Banks.
“This is an important road for North Carolina,” Stein told WRAL last year. “There are so many people that live there, there are so many tourism dollars that go on that road.”
The decision facing state and federal officials is not simply whether to spend more money. Maintaining the existing highway requires continued investment, while relocating it or building a bridge could require significantly more money upfront.
And none of those options would stop the barrier islands from changing.
“There are no easy solutions,” Moore said. “I don't even tend to use the word solution because really, there's just a way to maybe buy time.”
What comes next
NCDOT held its first round of public meetings on the SAND Plan this spring and plans another round in November. Hass said a full report is expected early next year.
The process is intended to narrow potential short- and long-term improvements that could move into future environmental review. Any major project would still require government approval, funding and additional planning before construction.
For Katelyn Postanik, the consequences of the highway's vulnerability became clear during what was supposed to be a family vacation.
Postanik, who lives in Missouri, arrived in Rodanthe with her family Friday. They planned to leave Saturday but are stranded, as of Friday afternoon, after NC 12 closed.
“Last night was at its worst,” Postanik said. “We had water that was flowing past our house, underneath our house.”
Postanik, traveling with a 2-year-old and two dogs, said the experience changed how she views the highway's future.
“I don't think it's safe where it's at,” Postanik said. “I think it would be a great idea to move it.”