The Rodanthe Bridge, commonly called the Jug Handle Bridge,[1] is a 2.4-mile-long (3.9 km) two-lane "jug handle" trestle bridge in Dare County, North Carolina. The bridge carries North Carolina Highway 12 from Rodanthe to the southern point of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge by going west into the Pamlico Sound and then parallel an area of the Hatteras Island that is prone to coastal erosion, washouts, and flooding from storms.[2]
The bridge is designed around climate resilience in mind using nature-based design practices to try to make the bridge more resilient to extreme weather.[3]
History
Construction began in September 2018.[4] The bridge is being built by Flatiron Construction Company.[3]
The construction of the bridge was allowed because of a settlement with environmental groups that needed to avoid the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.[3]
The bridge opened to traffic on July 28, 2022, with southbound traffic at 11:40 AM, followed by northbound traffic at 12:20 PM.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Crist, Joy (2020-09-03). "Jug Handle Bridge is nearly 50% complete, and is still expected to open in the fall of 2021". Island Free Press. Archived from the original on 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ "N.C. 12 Rodanthe Bridge". Flatiron Construction Corp. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Shoring Up for Rising Sea Levels". Engineering News Record. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ "First piling driven in Rodanthe for the N.C. 12 Jug Handle Bridge". Kill Devil Hills, NC: The Outer Banks Voice. September 9, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ^ "Jug Handle Bridge opens to the public". Island Free Press. 2022-07-28. Archived from the original on 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2022-07-28.