Interesting article (North Carolina 12...Outer Banks Road)

[ShawnP]

To build or not to build.

I can see both sides as the Outer Banks is a living thing that shifts back and forth with each storm and has for thousands of years.

On one hand you have the constant cost of rebuilding. On the other hand not rebuilding you sorta doom Cape Hatteras to a reduced status and drive the whole area into a economic problem.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/05/rebuilding-nc-12-threatens-outer-banks-existence

[elsmere241]

Short term, I would say build a bridge whenever a piece of the road is taken out - and charge a toll on it.  Long term, even that might not be viable.

[ShawnP]

Some tough choices will have to made on this road. Apparently the Outer banks are not the most suitable place for roads and human habitation. It's only a matter of time before NC 12 is washed out again.

[mtantillo]

Given the economics of the situation, I doubt NC 12 is going anywhere anytime soon.  The Outer Banks are such a huge boom to NC's economy (including a lot of tourism dollars from out of state), that i'm sure NC would be very reluctant to stop rebuilding.  I'm pretty sure Dare County is a net contributor to the state's economy, and I'm sure the cost of rebuilding NC 12 after storms won't compare to how much revenue is generated by having continuous access up and down the Outer Banks. 

[cpzilliacus]

Given the economics of the situation, I doubt NC 12 is going anywhere anytime soon.

And North Carolina's Outer Banks are not the only developed barrier islands on the U.S. Atlantic coast either.  Are we going to get rid of all of the oceanfront development in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York as well? 

The Outer Banks are such a huge boom to NC's economy (including a lot of tourism dollars from out of state), that i'm sure NC would be very reluctant to stop rebuilding.  I'm pretty sure Dare County is a net contributor to the state's economy, and I'm sure the cost of rebuilding NC 12 after storms won't compare to how much revenue is generated by having continuous access up and down the Outer Banks.

I do think that it might be wise for NCDOT to span some of the washout-vulnerable segments of N.C. 12 with bridges, though that's not exactly cheap.

[jwolfer]

Given the economics of the situation, I doubt NC 12 is going anywhere anytime soon.

And North Carolina's Outer Banks are not the only developed barrier islands on the U.S. Atlantic coast either.  Are we going to get rid of all of the oceanfront development in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York as well? 

The Outer Banks are such a huge boom to NC's economy (including a lot of tourism dollars from out of state), that i'm sure NC would be very reluctant to stop rebuilding.  I'm pretty sure Dare County is a net contributor to the state's economy, and I'm sure the cost of rebuilding NC 12 after storms won't compare to how much revenue is generated by having continuous access up and down the Outer Banks.

I do think that it might be wise for NCDOT to span some of the washout-vulnerable segments of N.C. 12 with bridges, though that's not exactly cheap.

New Jersey just rebuilt Route 35 in Mantoloking after being breached by 2 new inlets by Hurricane Sandy. 

[Alps]

Given the economics of the situation, I doubt NC 12 is going anywhere anytime soon.

And North Carolina's Outer Banks are not the only developed barrier islands on the U.S. Atlantic coast either.  Are we going to get rid of all of the oceanfront development in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York as well? 

The Outer Banks are such a huge boom to NC's economy (including a lot of tourism dollars from out of state), that i'm sure NC would be very reluctant to stop rebuilding.  I'm pretty sure Dare County is a net contributor to the state's economy, and I'm sure the cost of rebuilding NC 12 after storms won't compare to how much revenue is generated by having continuous access up and down the Outer Banks.

I do think that it might be wise for NCDOT to span some of the washout-vulnerable segments of N.C. 12 with bridges, though that's not exactly cheap.

New Jersey just rebuilt Route 35 in Mantoloking after being breached by 2 new inlets by Hurricane Sandy. 

From the February 1 article, looks like they filled the inlets back in to restore the prior condition. Why don't they do that more often instead of bridging over the inlets? Just because we didn't see it form doesn't make it any more sacred.

[jwolfer]

Given the economics of the situation, I doubt NC 12 is going anywhere anytime soon.

And North Carolina's Outer Banks are not the only developed barrier islands on the U.S. Atlantic coast either.  Are we going to get rid of all of the oceanfront development in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York as well? 

The Outer Banks are such a huge boom to NC's economy (including a lot of tourism dollars from out of state), that i'm sure NC would be very reluctant to stop rebuilding.  I'm pretty sure Dare County is a net contributor to the state's economy, and I'm sure the cost of rebuilding NC 12 after storms won't compare to how much revenue is generated by having continuous access up and down the Outer Banks.

I do think that it might be wise for NCDOT to span some of the washout-vulnerable segments of N.C. 12 with bridges, though that's not exactly cheap.

New Jersey just rebuilt Route 35 in Mantoloking after being breached by 2 new inlets by Hurricane Sandy. 

From the February 1 article, looks like they filled the inlets back in to restore the prior condition. Why don't they do that more often instead of bridging over the inlets? Just because we didn't see it form doesn't make it any more sacred.

Barrier Islands by their nature are always moving.  New inlets break through, old ones close.  Even the name implies that they protect the (bay)coast from the direct action of the Ocean.  Until the late 1800s very few people lived permanently on barrier islands.  I know that the Native American cultures would have camps on the islands and fish and gather shellfish but not live on them permanently.  I grew up on the coast right near where Sandy hit last October.  My Grandfather told me that old timers thought it was crazy to build houses on the dunes or barrier islands, and they were right.  But now we have billions in real estate on barrier islands from New York to Texas on the Atlantic Coast. 

[cpzilliacus]

Given the economics of the situation, I doubt NC 12 is going anywhere anytime soon.

And North Carolina's Outer Banks are not the only developed barrier islands on the U.S. Atlantic coast either.  Are we going to get rid of all of the oceanfront development in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York as well? 

The Outer Banks are such a huge boom to NC's economy (including a lot of tourism dollars from out of state), that i'm sure NC would be very reluctant to stop rebuilding.  I'm pretty sure Dare County is a net contributor to the state's economy, and I'm sure the cost of rebuilding NC 12 after storms won't compare to how much revenue is generated by having continuous access up and down the Outer Banks.

I do think that it might be wise for NCDOT to span some of the washout-vulnerable segments of N.C. 12 with bridges, though that's not exactly cheap.

New Jersey just rebuilt Route 35 in Mantoloking after being breached by 2 new inlets by Hurricane Sandy. 

From the February 1 article, looks like they filled the inlets back in to restore the prior condition. Why don't they do that more often instead of bridging over the inlets? Just because we didn't see it form doesn't make it any more sacred.

Barrier Islands by their nature are always moving.  New inlets break through, old ones close.  Even the name implies that they protect the (bay)coast from the direct action of the Ocean.  Until the late 1800s very few people lived permanently on barrier islands.  I know that the Native American cultures would have camps on the islands and fish and gather shellfish but not live on them permanently.  I grew up on the coast right near where Sandy hit last October.  My Grandfather told me that old timers thought it was crazy to build houses on the dunes or barrier islands, and they were right.  But now we have billions in real estate on barrier islands from New York to Texas on the Atlantic Coast. 

Given that the development is there, and there are some sections that are prone to having inlets created by storms and then filled-up again (sometimes), it seems like those places would be excellent candidates for bridging.