View Alligator River drawbridge detour in a larger map
If you’re planning a drive to the Outer Banks, you might want to get going soon – before they close the drawbridge into Dare County.4/2/13 update: The U.S. 64 bridge is now closed until April 14.
The U.S. 64 bridge across the Alligator River will be shut down for 12 days, starting Tuesday, April 2, for repairs to a cranky old drawbridge that pivots open for tugboats, fishing vessels and yachts traveling down the Intracoastal Waterway.
There are no quick alternate routes. Beachgoers should prepare for a longer slog that will add at least 30 miles to the journey.
The state Department of Transportation plans in a few years to rebuild the entire 2.8-mile bridge across the Alligator River as part of a $277 million project to widen 16 miles of U.S. 64. But engineers say they dare not wait that long to replace worn-out components that frequently cause trouble for the drawbridge section. ... [MORE]



Rough weather has delayed repairs to storm-damaged N.C. 12, and the state Department of Transportation
N.C. 12 was closed south of Oregon Inlet until mid-afternoon Sunday after an early-morning construction accident killed a state Department of Transportation employee working to clean up tons of sand that have covered parts of the Outer Banks highway since Hurricane Sandy closed the road two weeks ago, DOT