This Land, Your Land

As the resurfacing of N.C. 12 across Bodie Island progresses, the highway has reopened and final work is expected to be completed by Memorial Day, the National Park Service says.

The main artery through Cape Hatteras National Seashore has been closed to two-way traffic from the Whalebone Junction Visitor Center south to SR 1243 (Old Oregon Inlet Road) since February 14.

The Park Service says the project is 85 percent complete.

Short one-lane sections of the highway will be closed for construction Mondays through Thursdays as the final layer of pavement is laid, which will continue to cause traffic delays. There will be no road construction Friday through Sunday.

Restoration work at the Bodie Island Lighthouse has been halted because money to complete it is not available, the National Parks Service said Monday.

Work begun in December 2009 was suspended this past January when damage that exceeded expectations was discovered. The NPS said it would have to find additional funding, and said this week the $3.09 million project was being suspended indefinitely.

The NPS needs another $1.6 million to repair cracks found in the braces supporting the balcony near the top of the light, according to The News & Observer.

Scaffolding will start coming down this week, and the lighthouse, which is at the northern end of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, will be shuttered to protect it from the weather. Its Fresnel lens and light are in storage.

A visitor center and bookstore at the base of the lighthouse remain open year-round from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A nature trail boardwalk at the lighthouse is also open year-round.

The National Park Service has placed the project in its FY 2012 Line Item Construction funding request.

In roads news on the other side of the state (from the Smokies, see below), travelers can expect delays for "the next several months" along a portion of the main artery through Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The first of several projects along N.C. 12 in the Bodie Island area begins February 14 with closing the two-lane road for resurfacing for about 30 days from just south of Whalebone Junction Visitor Center to the intersection of SR 1243 (Old Oregon Inlet Road). Plans are to initially detour traffic and open one lane as soon as possible, a park news release says.

Additional work along N.C. 12 will result in a single lane from SR 1243 to the Oregon Inlet Bridge beginning February 21.

Work is scheduled through May 27, and delays of up to 20 to 30 minutes are expected.

The discovery of more extensive damage than expected will require the National Park Service to suspend work to refurbish the Bodie Island Lighthouse as it seeks money for the additional work.

The NPS has completed significant and major restoration work as part of a massive restoration project begun in December 2009, a news release says, but last summer the contractor discovered significant structural integrity issues associated with the support structures under the balcony. An assessment found problems with framing, lantern beam supports, masonry and stitching, and steel drum and belt course segments located at the top of the lighthouse.

Work in the lighthouse, which is at the northern end of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, will end this spring, and the facility will be secured until funding is obtained, the Park Service says.