Rodanthe Bridge Explained

Rodanthe Bridge
Coordinates:35.61°N -75.48°W
Carries:Two lanes of
Crosses:Pamlico Sound
Locale:Rodanthe, NC
Design:Trestle
Designer:RK&K
Builder:Flatiron Construction Corp.
Begin:September 6, 2018
Cost:$145 million
Opened:July 28th, 2022

The Rodanthe Bridge, commonly called the Jug Handle Bridge,[1] is a 2.4adj=midNaNadj=mid 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.

The construction of the bridge was allowed because of a settlement with environmental groups that needed to avoid the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

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]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Crist. Joy. 2020-09-03. Jug Handle Bridge is nearly 50% complete, and is still expected to open in the fall of 2021. 2021-02-13. Island Free Press. en-US. 2020-09-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20200906142612/https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/jug-handle-bridge-is-nearly-50-complete-and-is-still-expected-to-open-in-the-fall-of-2021/. live.
  2. Web site: N.C. 12 Rodanthe Bridge . Flatiron Construction Corp. . July 5, 2019 . July 5, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190705223511/https://www.flatironcorp.com/project/n-c-12-rodanthe-bridge/ . live .
  3. Web site: Shoring Up for Rising Sea Levels. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211201125820/https://www.enr.com/articles/50899-shoring-up-for-rising-sea-levels?v=preview. 2021-12-01. 2021-01-03. Engineering News Record. en.
  4. News: . First piling driven in Rodanthe for the N.C. 12 Jug Handle Bridge . The Outer Banks Voice . Kill Devil Hills, NC . September 9, 2018 . July 5, 2019 . July 5, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190705223520/https://outerbanksvoice.com/2018/09/08/first-piling-driven-in-rodanthe-for-the-n-c-12-jug-handle-bridge/ . live .
  5. Web site: 2022-07-28 . Jug Handle Bridge opens to the public . 2022-07-28 . Island Free Press . en-US . 2022-07-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220728192714/https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/jug-handle-bridge-opens-to-the-public/ . live .