By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on February 21, 2022
Last week, the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management agreed to allow NCDOT to place sandbags at the north end of Rodanthe at Mirlo Beach. The permit is seen as important for the protection of the subdivision from changes in the shoreline that will certainly occur when the sandbags and dunes, and even the road, are removed from the S Curve area parallel to the Jug Handle Bridge.
But that permit is only one piece of a bigger puzzle and may not even be the most significant. When the protections and road are removed from the S Curve area, critical energy and communications infrastructure could be endangered when forces of nature batter the area along one of the most dynamic stretches of shoreline on the Outer Banks.
In the Cape Hatteras Electric Coop’s (CHEC) January newsletter, the company hinted at the problem, writing that “The power delivered to Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands is exclusively provided by the transmission line that runs parallel to the existing highway. Once NCDOT completes the Rodanthe bridge…they will immediately begin removing the asphalt, dunes and sandbags that are in the current highway right of way…”
In a Voice interview, Susan Flythe, CHEC Executive Vice President and General Manager, provided more detail.
“That is where our 115 kV transmission line that serves all of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands is located,” she said. “We are concerned about the reliability of electric and broadband service for both Hatteras and Ocracoke with the removal of this road before these essential services can be safely secured to the new bridge.”
Work has begun on moving electrical and communication infrastructure to the new bridge, but because it will be necessary to stagger work around peak traffic times and pause work during the summer, that project is not scheduled to be completed until late 2022.
But, as it now stands, when the bridge opens to traffic, NCDOT will begin removing the sandbags, dunes and road that have provided protection and access to the area. Without those protection or a roadbed, it would be difficult for repair crews to move quickly to restore power and communications if the lines were damaged.
Dare County Commissioner for Hatteras Island, Danny Couch, points out that without the road, repair trucks will not be able to get to the damaged area.
“These trucks are 30,000 pounds. If we can’t access the power line, people are forgetting about the internet and the digital. We are shut down…everything from schools to businesses,” he said.
Sources in NCDOT have indicated that a meeting is scheduled, likely as early as this week, with the various agencies to discuss the issue. Key federal organizations have indicated they are aware there is a problem, and it needs to be addressed.
“There are lots of moving parts and the need for continual interagency coordination when a project of this size is underway,” Dave Hallac, Superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, wrote in an email. “I understand the need to carry out the plans for completing the Jug Handle Bridge project, and I also understand the importance of maintaining power and communications systems that support Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.”
With camping areas, visitor centers and most of Cape Hatteras National Seashore located south of the area of concern, a loss of power and communication would have a dramatic effect on National Seashore operations.
Currently NC12 as it passes through the S Curve area, is in a right of way granted to NCDOT by US Fish and Wildlife (USFW), the agency that is responsible for Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Part of the agreement granting a new right of way for the Jug Handle Bridge included removing all protections and the road when the bridge opens.
Although USFW has an agreement with NCDOT to remove the protections, in an email from Jennifer M. Koches, Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist for USFW, it is apparent the agency understands there are issues that need to be addressed and that talks about those issues are underway.
“Since discussions on the Rodanthe Bridge Project are ongoing among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our partners with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative (CHEC), it would be premature to offer comment on any decisions to delay road removal,” she wrote. “The Service remains committed to working with NCDOT and CHEC to find reasonable solutions to meet shared concerns about access and utility services and we appreciate our long-standing and positive working relationships with both partners.”
When communication and power are finally rerouted to the Jug Handle Bridge, it will represent a significant upgrade in reliability. But if an agreement on keeping protections and the road in place cannot be reached, Couch worries about a replay of July 2017 disaster when a construction accident affecting the line to Hatteras at the Basnight Bridge brought life to a standstill during one of the big tourism weeks of the season.
“We evacuated 44,000 people the last week in July when the cable got severed,” Couch said. “This is cheap insurance.”
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BID:
Barnhill Contracting Company will receive sealed proposals for Manns Harbor – EMS/Fire Facility (EMS-8), Kitty Hawk – EMS/Fire Facility (EMS-9), Manteo – Youth Center on January 09, 2024. Times to be given on via addendum #01. See the following SCOPE OF WORK: BP 100 – General Trades, BP 105 – Final Cleaning, BP 205 – Demolition, BP 390 – Turnkey Concrete, BP 400 – Turnkey Masonry, BP 500 – Turnkey Structural Steel & Misc. Steel, BP 505 – Light Gauge Metal Trusses, BP 740 – Roofing, BP750 – Siding, BP 790 – Caulking/Sealants, BP 800 – Turnkey Doors/Frames/Hardware/Toilet Specialties/Accessories/Division 10, BP 840 – Curtainwall/Storefront/Glass/Glazing, BP 925 – Drywall/Framing, BP 960 – Resilient Flooring/Carpet/Base/Epoxy, BP 980 – Acoustical Ceilings, BP 990 – Painting and Wall Coverings, BP 1230 – Finish Carpentry and Casework, BP 1250 – Window Treatments, BP 2100 – Fire Protection, BP 2200 – Plumbing, BP 2300 – HVAC, BP 2600 – Electrical, BP 3100 – Earthwork/Turnkey Site, BP 3213- Site Concrete, BP 3290 – Landscaping. Scopes of work may be added and/or deleted at the discretion of the Construction Manager.
Bid Location and Time: Bid opening will be held in the Barnhill Contracting Rocky Mount Training & GPS Technology Room: 800 Tiffany Bvld, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. Time is as follows: January 09, 2024 at 10:00am and 2:00pm. Times per packages to be given on via addendum #01.
Barnhill Contracting Company will receive, open, and read publicly all bids received in person in the Training & GPS Technology Room at the main office and listed with the virtual viewing at the link to be posted on Barnhill’s Plan Room.
Bids will not be accepted from bidders that are not pre-qualified. No facsimile or email submissions are permitted. Sealed bids are to be hand delivered to the bid opening location noted above or mailed Sealed Bids can be delivered before 9:00am the day of the bid to the Barnhill Contracting Company Office at 800 Tiffany Blvd., Suite 200 Rocky Mount, NC 27804. Attention “Clint Hardison.”
The pre-bid meeting will be held in Person & Zoom Meeting on December 06, 2023 at 10:00 am at the Barnhill Contracting’s Rocky Mount Main Conference Room: 800 Tiffany Bvld, Rocky Mount, NC 27804.
The pre-bid meeting link can be located on Barnhill’s online Building Division Plan Room ( https://app.buildingconnected.com/public/54da832ce3edb5050017438b) and below. A preferred brand alternates meeting will be held via the same link at the end of the Prebid meeting.
Bid Documents can be viewed or downloaded through Barnhill’s online Building Division Plan Room (https://app.buildingconnected.com/public/54da832ce3edb5050017438b) after 12/04/2023.
All Bidders are strongly encouraged to include opportunities for HUB participation wherever possible in their respective Bid submission. HUB participation is a part of this contract and must comply with all requirements set forth in the Bid Documents.
The Construction Manager and Owner reserve the right to add pre-qualified bidders. The Construction Manager and Owner reserve the right to reject any and all bids. Should you require additional direction, please call Barnhill Contracting Company, (Clint Hardison – 252-802-0740).
Clint Hardison is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Dare EMS – Phase 2 Pre-Bid Conference
Time: Dec 6, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://barnhillcontracting.zoom.us/j/82390692985
Meeting ID: 823 9069 2985
—
One tap mobile
+17866351003,,82390692985# US (Miami)
+13126266799,,82390692985# US (Chicago)
—
Dial by your location
Meeting ID: 823 9069 2985
Find your local number: https://barnhillcontracting.zoom.us/u/kbYOel03V
—
Join by SIP
—
Join by H.323
Meeting ID: 823 9069 2985
Comments
Freenusa
To My Son, come get this generator I want to give you before you need it❤️
Yan
So this wasn’t thought about up until this point? Didn’t cross anyone’s mind during this years long process? Hmm…