Overwash covers Highway 12

DARE COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) - Many locals are calling for permanent solutions, so Thursday's overwash on Hatteras Island is a thing of the past.

At 1 p.m., sand was taken from wider dune areas to the north by truck and taken to the Oregon Inlet Bridge after Hurricane Irene carved an inlet on Hatteras Island. It was brought to the s-curve at Mirlo Beach north of Rodanthe.

North Carolina put in $4.9 million to build a new Highway 12 north of Mirlo Beach because the pounding surf got under the road and buckled it. The sand covering the sandbags was gone but the sandbags remained, protecting the highway.

"Well, we are right in the same place we were before," Hatteras Island resident Scott Caldwell said. "It's just a matter of time."

The overwash returned at high tide Thursday and NCDOT workers had to halt traffic.

“I just came from the village. It is pretty normal if you live down here. You got to expect it," Chesapeake resident Kenny Smith said.

Hatteras Island residents are tired of expecting the overwash and flooding, and want a permanent solution.

“This isn't the solution to the problem. It's never ending, and they need to come up with a solution," Caldwell said. "It should never have gotten to this. There's just a lot of red tape and bureaucracy."

Next week, NCDOT will hold several public hearings to talk about permanent solutions.