Saturday, September 5, 2026
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on August 26, 2026
A NCDOT project calling for improvements at the intersection of NC12 and US158 in Kitty Hawk appears to “essentially be shelved and not pursued,” according to NCDOOT Division One Project Development Engineer Brooks Braswell.
Braswell did note, however, that the project could be “resurrected if the community decided that they wish to pursue an improvement to the intersection.” There has been significant public opposition to the proposed NCDOT plan.
Although not in the current 2026-2035 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), the project is listed in the draft 2028-2037 STIP.
At the July 7 Southern Shores Town Council meeting, Council Member Paula Sherlock was harshly critical of the plan.
“It’s hidden in the middle of everything,” she said. “It’s to the tune of $36 million to correct a problem that I don’t really understand and fix something that doesn’t appear to be broken.”
The plan, designated R4457 according to a 2020 NCDOT planning document, proposes two possible solutions to improve traffic flow at the intersection. A flyover or overpass would include two bridges, one for northbound traffic and one for southbound traffic. The other proposal envisions using what the document calls RCUT intersections, essentially controlled U-turns, to improve flow.
The planning document stated that “the R-4457 project will improve daily operations at the study area intersections,” although it noted that “to fully mitigate area congestion during weekends, both R-4457 and the Mid-Currituck Bridge will need to be constructed.”
The Southern Shores Town Council asked the public to weigh in on the project before the comment period ended on Aug. 1. Public opinion was overwhelmingly opposed to the idea, with comments consistently describing it as waste of money and calling for the construction of the Mid Currituck Bridge, which now has a price tag of about $1 billion.
For Dare and Currituck counties, the Albemarle Rural Planning Organization (ARPO) selects what members feel should be NCDOT project priorities. Consisting of the 11 counties of NCDOT Division 1, the organization decided to remove Project R4457 from the priority list.
Dare County Commissioner Mary Ellon Ballance, who is the county’s representative to the ARPO, told the Voice that “it wasn’t anything anybody was wanted, and so we chose to take it out of consideration.”
However, she cautioned that “it doesn’t necessarily kill the project. All we did was we took the local points away from it.”
NCDOT uses a numeric rating system that includes how important a project is seen as a statewide, regional, divisional and regional planning organization priority. Taking away ARPO support does make it less likely the project will move forward. Without the points from ARPO and Division 1, NCDOT’s Braswell said that “most likely, the project would not receive funding…most likely, the project would not be pursued.”
Comments
Jason
NOBX people opposing this project solely to press the state on building a bridge that will never be built. Of course it won’t solve the traffic issue completely, but it will help. Something is better than nothing and there are always traffic crashes there in the summer. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot…
Concerned in Dare
NCDOT shot themselves in the foot with that announcement.
The changes may very well need to be made in this intersection, but the illustrations were convoluted, hard to understand, full of non-sensical colored lines and ridiculous colored blocks. Better explanations of the proposed plans may well have garnered more public interest. DO better NCDOT.
Dylan
SS council member: “to fix a problem I don’t really understand…”
Says it all!
OB
Paula Sherlock nailed the lunacy of the project correctly as “fixing something that is not broken”. Whomever came up with this “plan” should be severely reprimanded for the same reason.; a plan to waste road funds on a non-problem.
What the 36 MILLION would do is funnel traffic to Rte 12 N more efficiently so that those same cars would be bumper to bumper up to Duck and Corolla even faster.
JS
So now the folks that are complaining about traffic issues don’t want to do anything about it except build a $1.2 BILLION, and rising, bridge that NCDOT cannot afford, the State Auditor stated as much. All traffic has to stop at the light to head north/south on on 158 just so people can turn onto NC12. Taking that light out and installing a flyover to allow traffic to move freely will only help the situation. The bulk of the traffic issues are that intersection and Duck. Duck only has a 60′ ROW and the speed limit is what, 25 in the summer. SELC had a traffic study done by a traffic engineer with no skin in the game, and presented that to the NCTA as a cheaper, more effective solution to the lights and pedestrian crossings. That study included, but not limited to, fixing the intersection at the light to allow free flow traffic and build roundabouts where the traffic lights are. Duck could increase their speed limit to 30 mph during the summer and have road widening where feasible. Tram service would take more cars off the road as well and pedestrian walk overs could also help keep traffic moving. The problem is no one from Southern Shores through Duck wants to do anything to help the issue. The bridge will never be built so time for plan B. You live at a popular beach destination. There will always be traffic during the summer but the impacts can be lessened by doing work in phases as funding allows.
Jay
Well said JS. I believe you’re assessment on the situation will indeed be what eventually happens regarding the summer traffic situation there. It will just take a few more years of the traffic getting worse and more time for the old northern retirees to pass on then some common sense will no doubt prevail.
Dr Rob Jr
JS: Flow freely to where? It already gets backed up to the BP station during the summer and the police have to manually control the flow. If cars already back up that far back, where else are they going to go? Backed up on the flyover and then to the same place it is now.
Jay
Flow freely to their respective destinations doctor which includes thousands of rental homes before the BP in lil duck there. JS also mentioned a much cheaper way to largely fix the situation within the city limits there as well. I guess nothing would ever work but a billion dollar toll bridge according to a lot of people but guarantee it they don’t live here all year and of course there are thousands of those people. They all get a say too which is why there is the issue with the traffic in the first place but that’s a long story for another time.