A federal appeals court has dismissed an appeal by an Outer Banks group that opposes plans for an elevated roadway in Pamlico Sound designed to avoid washouts on Hatteras Island's main artery. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2018 lower court ruling that let construction begin on the $145 million Rodanthe Bridge.
The project will take N.C. 12 off Hatteras Island and into Pamlico Sound, north of Rodanthe, by constructing a jug-handle-shaped bridge. The project also is designed to avoid environmental damage at nearby Pea Island Wildlife Refuge.
Related Story: Judge Lets Rodanthe Bridge Project Proceed
The citizens' group Save Our Sound OBX argued that state and federal highway officials failed to consider alternatives and that the project would destroy a popular windsurfing area. They wanted the state to rebuild the road in its current location near the shoreline, and use beach renourishment when needed.
But other environmental groups supported the plan.
Construction began last summer and is expected to finish in 2020.
RELATED LINKS
Jan. 23, 2019, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling(PDF)
NCDOT project page for NC 12-Rodanthe
HIGH TIDE NEAR PEA ISLAND REFUGE, DECEMBER 2018
