Rodanthe jug handle

[towpro]

Is the Rodanthe jug handle open yet?

Wonder what they plan to do to 12 from the S curves north?  Are they going to pull the old black top or continue to dig it out every time the wind blows still?

[hhager23]

12 mins ago, towpro said:

Is the Rodanthe jug handle open yet?

Wonder what they plan to do to 12 from the S curves north?  Are they going to pull the old black top or continue to dig it out every time the wind blows still?

I don't think it is open yet. This is from NCDOT:

 

The following is a look ahead at planned construction activities on the N.C. 12 Rodanthe bridge between Feb. 28, 2022 and March 26, 2022.

Please note that construction activities are dependent on equipment and weather and are subject to change.

Bridge

• Work Trestle - The work trestle along with two cranes and two crane platforms have been removed from the bridge. Hauling of work trestle components, crane components and specialty equipment to sites off the project are ongoing. 
• All structural components of the bridge have been installed.
• Bridge Deck - Expansion joint installations and metal railing installation are ongoing.
• Bridge Deck Surface - Texturing the bridge deck driving surface is taking place at various locations on the structure. At times this activity may take place at night and on weekends.
• Under Bridge Utility - Installation of a hanger system and conduits for electric power lines and fiber optic cable will be taking place at various locations along the structure.

Earthwork & Roadway

 

• Roadway - Driveway and drainage work will take place on NC 12 from the roundabout intersection north to the Pea Island Refuge Boundary.
  
  Concrete curbing and paving for the roundabout have been completed. Concrete islands have been installed on the roadways that connect to the roundabout.
  
  Grading and paving of the new parking lot at the very north end of the structure along with paving the final surface layer at the approach to the north end of the structure are anticipated to take place in early to mid-March.
  
  Final grading of the roadway shoulders and slopes will take place along with seeding and mulching of these areas.
  
  Final pavement markings on the structure and the roadway at the south end of the project are expected to take place in the middle of March.
  
  Guardrail installation, signing and fencing are anticipated to take place at various locations throughout the project limits.
  
  Daytime single lane closures may be necessary for the roadway work.

This is from an earlier NCDOT posting in 2020 regarding the "old road" : 

 

The N.C. Department of Transportation also proposes building a one-lane roundabout (as opposed to a traditional "T" type intersection) at the end of the existing N.C. 12 and relocated N.C. 12 near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Roundabouts provide a safer intersection with less potential conflict points — areas where drivers are crossing, merging or leaving a road — and reduce congestion and backups.

Traffic would be maintained on N.C. 12 while the new bridge is being built. When construction is complete, the existing roadway would be removed and that land would be returned to the refuge. In Rodanthe, the existing N.C. 12 roadway would remain to provide access to private properties.

[animalbarrie]

Should be open very soon.  They are running a race on the bridge on April 9th.  I would imagine it will be open shortly after that.  Bummer for the people that had property on the sound side, their views were definitely screwed up.  

 

I wonder what they are going to do with old road?  My guess is that they will put some funding into fortifying the dune.  

[Cephalopholis]

they are ripping out the old road, sandbags and all, and will let nature take its course...

 

"Work to remove the existing N.C. Highway 12 pavement and sandbags on Pea Island in the S-Curves area will begin once traffic is shifted to the new bridge. Existing sandbags will  be left in the Mirlo Beach area, south of the refuge boundary. " NCDOT

[towpro]

that area around the S curves has really changed over the 30 plus years we been going down there but its unpredictable.  I really thought that place they put the temp bridge would turn into a new inlet, but it dried up.

[Cephalopholis]

The Jug Handle Bridge will open in mid-May at the earliest due to damage to one of the bridge’s expansion joints, per a recent update from N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Communications Officer Tim Hass.

[animalbarrie]

bummer - I am heading down on Thursday, was hoping to ride on it.

[towpro]

Guess they did not get the jug handle open yet because if they did they would be done dealing with this mess on the S curves

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by towpro

[animalbarrie]

heading down on 6/11 - I wonder if it will be open.  

Edited June 1, 2022 by animalbarrie

[Cephalopholis]

from the island free press:

After an unplanned delay due to a damaged expansion joint, the Jug Handle Bridge is expected to open to traffic next week, after Memorial Day Weekend, with project managers eyeing a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday opening.

[Cephalopholis]

Another delay (who didn't see this coming?!...)

from today's island free press:

 

While hopes were high that the Jug Handle Bridge would open to traffic late this week, the opening has been postponed to next week due to a delay in the last steps of the process, which entails paving and adding the permanent lane markings.

“One of the pieces of machinery that the subcontractor needs to do the striping [or lane markings] was not available this week,” stated Tim Hass, N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Communications Officer. “We are now planning to get the striping going early Monday, and to have the bridge open sometime next week.”

[animalbarrie]

On 6/3/2022 at 5:49 PM, Cephalopholis said:

Another delay (who didn't see this coming?!...)

from today's island free press:

 

While hopes were high that the Jug Handle Bridge would open to traffic late this week, the opening has been postponed to next week due to a delay in the last steps of the process, which entails paving and adding the permanent lane markings.

“One of the pieces of machinery that the subcontractor needs to do the striping [or lane markings] was not available this week,” stated Tim Hass, N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Communications Officer. “We are now planning to get the striping going early Monday, and to have the bridge open sometime next week.”

Thanks for the info - if there are no delays I may get to use it on the 11th.  I've been driving past this thing for years now!

[Cephalopholis]

another day another delay....

from obx today:

The anticipated opening of the Rodanthe ‘Jug Handle’ Bridge in Dare County is being delayed (again), because pavement markings installed earlier this week do not meet N.C. Department of Transportation specifications for quality or reflectivity.

Flatiron, the prime contractor, after consultation with NCDOT, has elected to seek a new subcontractor to replace the substandard markings and re-stripe the bridge and the intersections. Once a new subcontractor is in place, a better timeline on a traffic shift to the new bridge can be established.

Pavement markings are the final step in completion of the 2.4-mile bridge over Pamlico Sound, which will bypass a section of N.C. 12 that is highly vulnerable to ocean overwash.

 

 

 

 

[Cephalopholis]

It's OPEN!!!

At about 2 p.m. on July 28, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) announced the long-awaited opening of the Rodanthe ‘Jug Handle’ Bridge to traffic.

 

"Intermittent daytime lane closures on the bridge will still be necessary in the coming weeks, as Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative continues to connect electric, phone and internet transmission lines onto the new structure.

After the cables are attached, pavement and sandbags on the bypassed section of N.C. 12 will be removed, allowing it to return to its natural state. The road removal project is expected to be complete by the end of November."

Edited July 28, 2022 by Cephalopholis

[Buckmark22]

FYI....Google Maps has been updated only to show the old Hwy 12 closure and does not show the new jug handle bridge as "open".  So if you try to use google maps to plan a trip to Rodanthe south to Hatteras, it will take you across the ferry from the mainland to Ocracoke onto Hatteras and then north all the way to Rodanthe.  Shocking that NCDOT was faster than Google!