Waist-deep sand piled on Outer Banks highway will keep it closed longer than expected

The brief closure last weekend of North Carolina’s famous Outer Banks highway won’t be as brief as originally expected.

N.C. 12 was initially supposed to be closed for about a day, but the stretch between the Bonner Bridge and Rodanthe remained closed Tuesday and state officials tweeted photos showing sand was waist high across the pavement.

The N.C. Department of Transportation is now hoping the highway will reopen Wednesday afternoon.

“Conditions remain poor on N.C. 12 and ocean overwash is continuing to inundate the road with water,” NCDOT tweeted Monday.

“N.C. Department of Transportation crews are assessing impacts and continuing to clear the road of sand caused by dune breaches between Rodanthe and Oregon Inlet.”

The highway has been closed since Saturday afternoon. The most troublesome spot was between Mirlo Beach and Buxton, where breaches in the dunes allowed the ocean to pour onto the two-lane highway.

A section of the highway in Ocracoke just opened last week, after damage from Hurricane Dorian was repaired.

Flooding on the Outer Banks began Saturday as a nor’easter pounded the coast with 50 to 60 mph wind gusts and waves in excess of 20 feet.

Images posted on social media showed water rushing between homes and covering roads, including flooding that continued into Monday on the Front Street business district in Beaufort, North Carolina.

This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 7:21 AM with the headline "Waist-deep sand piled on Outer Banks highway will keep it closed longer than expected."