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Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robert L. Woodard Sr. declared “it’s time for a long-term plan” and announced the formation of a NC 12 Task Force.

His announcement was made at the Dare board’s April 19, 2021 meeting.

The “Staying Connected” project “involves collaborative development of a long-term, resilient transportation plan for N.C. Highway 12 and associated transportation facilities in Dare and Hyde Counties, North Carolina.”

Resilient is defined “as compatible with a dynamic, storm-prone coastal environment, reliable, safe, less prone to damage and closures, and easier and less costly to maintain.”

The task force charter states “collaboratively develop a long-term, prioritized transportation plan for Highway 12 that identifies vulnerable highway locations (a.k.a. hotspots), projects future challenges related to erosion, storms, and sea level rise, refines and recommends location-specific solutions, and identifies funding strategies and a timeline for implementation.”

Partners involved in the task force are Dare County, Hyde County, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Task Force members come to the task force from each of the partners:

Dare County: Robert L. Woodard, Sr. (Dare County Board of Commissioners); Robert L. Outten (Dare County manager/attorney)

Hyde County: Randal Mathews (Hyde County commissioner representing Ocracoke Island); Kris Cahoon Noble (Hyde County manager)

Cape Hatteras National Seashore: David Hallac (superintendent, National Parks of Eastern NC)

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge: Rebekah Martin (Coastal NC National Wildlife Refuge Complex, project leader)

NCDOT: Allen Moran (NC Board of Transportation member for Division 1); Sterling Baker (NCDOT, Division 1 engineer); Gretchen Byrum (NCDOT, division project development engineer); Paul Williams (NCDOT, division environmental officer) and Win Bridgers (NCDOT, deputy division engineer)

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