Bridge will bypass Pea Island, but refuge access to remain

Sometime soon, possibly before spring, the 2.4-mile “jug handle” bridge bypassing the troubled S-curves just north of Rodanthe will open to traffic, and after it does, folks will still be able to access the national wildlife refuge here. The bridge, with a projected 100-year lifespan, is seen as the only practical solution to maintaining the […]

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Student study finds Buxton Woods a healthy, valued reserve

Buxton Woods is alive and well. That is one of the conclusions of a study of the state coastal reserve and dedicated nature preserve conducted by University of North Carolina Chapel Hill undergraduate students and presented Dec. 2 to the Hatteras Island community at the Fessenden Center. The students, participating in the Coastal Studies Institute’s […]

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Researchers eye alternative energy to power state ferries

North Carolina’s ferry system has a fleet of 21 vehicle ferries, making it either tied with Washington as the largest state system in the country or the second largest — it really depends the measuring stick — and researchers are now looking at how to more sustainably power those vessels’ near-constant runs. “(Washington is) the […]

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For NC 12 Task Force, one big challenge is Ocracoke South Ferry Terminal

As the NC12 Task Force continues to address how to keep open the only road connecting Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands with the rest of the world, consensus is growing within the group that short-term and temporary fixes will not solve the problem. At its Oct. 14 meeting in the Dare County Administration building, the working […]

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From ORVs to rising seas

Dave Hallac talks of the treasures and challenges of OBX Parks It’s been almost seven years since Superintendent David Hallac took the reins of the Outer Banks Group (OBG) of National Park Service sites. Consisting of Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS), the Wright Brothers Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, the sites have seen near record […]

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NC12 Task Force turns to north end of Avon

Group working to fix seven NC12 ‘hotspots’ As the NC 12 Task Force continues to consider possible scenarios for maintaining the transportation network with Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, the complexity of the project becomes more apparent. The new Task Force, which first met in May, was formed to develop a long-range plan to address concerns about […]

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1913 storm thrashed ships, and a rescue led to accusations

In a year with very few tropical systems, Hurricane Four of 1913 received barely a notice by the Raleigh office of the Weather Bureau of the United States. “While located offshore North Carolina early on September 3, the cyclone peaked with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph … and a minimum barometric pressure of 976 mbar … Hours later, it […]

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NC12 Task Force tackles a thorny problem — keeping the road viable

At the third meeting of the NC 12 Task Force, held on Aug. 11 at the Dare County Administrative Building, the complexity of maintaining NC12 on Hatteras Island was the focus of attention. As stakeholders discussed confronting the challenges of the road now and in the future, two concerns, in particular, emerged: the cost of a […]

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