Between December and April, the north end of Ocracoke was repeatedly impacted by storms, resulting in frequent overwash of Highway 12. As a result, that stretch of highway was subject to numerous closures during periods of high tide and road repair operations.

The frequent overwash and continuing erosion now pose a a hazard to portions of Tideland EMC’s infrastructure in the most hard hit areas of Highway 12.

We have identified a 4,200-foot section of our 25kV line that needs to be relocated closer to the sound. This work will require replacing 17 overhead poles, the requisite pole hardware and new wire. With favorable weather conditions, we estimate the work to take contractors 10 business days to achieve, during which the line would remain energized.

To enable this emergency line relocation, the National Park Service has issued a Special Use Permit effective until Sept. 30, 2024, for Tideland to complete the work.

At press time, Tideland had issued a request for bids with a submission deadline of July 19. We expect to select a construction contrator by the end of July with the goal of construction getting underway in August.

This project comes less than five years after Tideland spent $4.5 million on a submarine cable expansion on the south end of Hatteras Island due to accelerated rates of erosion. The erosion in that area had significantly increased since 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. Ocracoke has likewise seen increased overwash and erosion on the north end of the island since 2019’s Hurricane Dorian.

We are grateful for the ongoing collaboration and monitoring of the situation by the National Park Service, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Hyde County officials and others as changes to that section of the island continue to evolve.

In the meantime, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to include a visit to Ocracoke in your summer plans. We’ll keep the lights on for you!