Bridge over N.C. 12 on Hatteras to open by Tuesday

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C.

A temporary bridge on Hatteras will open by Tuesday, reconnecting the island that has been cut off from the mainland since Hurricane Irene severed parts of its only highway in August, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Wednesday afternoon.

That's days earlier than officials estimated late last week and is no doubt welcome news to those who have relied upon a long, slow trek across Pamlico Sound on an emergency ferry to get to and from Hatteras for more than a month.

The Aug. 27 storm chewed what has become a 200-foot-wide channel into the island near Rodanthe. The new, two-lane, 662-foot bridge will span the channel and could last a decade or longer, transportation officials have said.

In the meantime, NCDOT is working on a long-term plan, which it will present to Gov. Beverly Perdue within six months.

Crews have worked on the bridge almost around the clock, according to an update on the NCDOT website, and the few remaining tasks include installing six of 12 bridge bearing supports and anchoring the bridge.

South of there, in other areas along N.C. 12 breached by the storm, workers were filling in and repaving. They had begun grading the embankment leading to the southern end of the bridge, according to the update.

State officials announced plans to construct the bridge less than a month ago. Access could come even earlier than Tuesday.

"Our hope is to open before then, but right now we are confident work will be complete on or before the 11th," resident engineer Pablo Hernandez said in a news release from NCDOT.

"We will open... earlier if we can."

Meanwhile, the island's hard-hit northern villages of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo have been closed to tourists and will remain so at least until Monday.

Kristin Davis, (757) 222-5131, kristin.davis@pilotonline.com