Sand overwash, flooding closes NC 12 in Outer Banks, suspends all ferry routes

Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina Highway 12 in the Outer Banks remains closed Sunday and will only be reopened when officials determine it is safe, according to a statement from the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The NCDOT closed part of N.C. 12 from the Marc Basnight Bridge (Oregon Inlet) to Rodanthe starting at 5 p.m. Saturday due to heavy winds and pounding rains creating dangerous travel conditions at the coast.

Ferry service was also suspended Saturday morning for six of the seven coastal routes due to the storm. On Sunday, officials announced the seventh ferry route was also closed.

NCDOT officials will assess N.C. 12 on Sunday but said the road experienced flooding and sand overwash overnight. Before Saturday’s storm, crews were using front-end loaders and other equipment to remove sand from the road.

According to officials, sand covered the road Sunday at several locations between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe, with additional overwash experienced at Avon and Buxton.

“Conditions remain poor and additional overwash is expected at high tide later this morning and tonight,” a statement read.

The storm brought winds up to 45 mph to the coast overnight, and officials said there is almost no visibility due to wind blown sand accumulating on the highway.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media. For further ferry information, follow the Ferry Division on Twitter at @NCDOT_Ferry.