Task force created to save Outer Banks' NC Highway 12 from flooding

NAGS HEAD, N.C. (AP) — A task force force has been formed with the aim of saving the main highway on North Carolina’s Outer Banks from storms and sea level rise.

The Virginian-Pilot reported last week that the task force will focus on protecting seven vulnerable spots along 67 miles of the narrow highway.

NC Highway 12 runs from Oregon Inlet to Hatteras Village and continues after a ferry ride to Ocracoke.

The taskforce tasked with saving the highway is made up of federal, state and local agencies. The highway constantly floods with ocean water or after heavy rains and high tides inundate the road.

Tourists can sometimes be stranded, while emergency crews can be stymied.

Officials have so far had mixed success building bridges and bigger dunes.