2008 Road Closures

The following press release has been issued by the NCDOT. Please read this carefully if you are planning a visit to the island anytime between January 1, 2008 and mid-March, 2008.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 2, 2007

Contact: Communications Office, (919) 733-2522

NCDOT GEARING UP FOR REPLACEMENT OF N.C. 12 BRIDGES ON OCRACOKE ISLAND

Lane closures beginning as early as next week

RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Transportation will begin moving construction materials and equipment onto Ocracoke Island this month in preparation for the N.C. 12 bridge replacements scheduled to start in January 2008.

To prepare for this project, signalized lane closures along N.C. 12 on Ocracoke Island are scheduled to occur as follows:

One of two lanes will be closed in the construction zone beginning as early as Monday, Nov. 5, through Friday, Nov. 16;

All lanes will remain open from Friday, Nov. 16, through Monday, Nov. 26, to accommodate motorists traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday;

One of two lanes will be closed in construction zone from Monday, Nov. 26, to Friday, Dec. 21; and

All lanes will remain open from Friday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Jan. 2, to accommodate motorists traveling for the Christmas and New Year's Day holidays.

Beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 2, through Friday, March 15, crews will close access to N.C. 12 on Ocracoke Island to replace seven bridges on the island. Work includes removing the current wooden bridges and replacing them with wider concrete structures. During this time, only four-wheel-drive vehicles will be able to use the established beach detour between the National Park Service campground and the Pony Pens to access the village of Ocracoke. All other vehicles must use the Swan Quarter and Cedar Island ferries to access Ocracoke.

More traveler information as well as ferry schedule changes will be available next month.

NCDOT reminds motorists to stay alert, travel at non-peak times and use alternate routes, when possible. Plan ahead before driving by visiting the NCDOT Traveler Information Management System Web site at www.ncdot.org/traffictravel/ or call 511, the state's toll-free travel information line for current travel conditions.

For more information on this project, please contact Division 1 Maintenance Engineer Sterling Baker at (252) 482-7977.

***NCDOT***

-- Shelley M. Winters Public Information Officer NCDOT Communications Office
(919) 733-2522 (919) 733-9980 (fax)

E-mail correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.

Our latest Newsletter is an article about Blackbeard the pirate and new research that suggests he may have been born in eastern North Carolina. You can read it here.