Proposal Would Move 3,000 Feet of N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Park Service (NPS) are accepting public comments from Nov. 10 through Nov. 24, 2026, on a North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) proposal to move a section of N.C. Highway 12 on Hatteras Island. The stretch is near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.

The agencies announced the comment period in a Nov. 10 news release from Manteo, North Carolina. If the plan goes ahead, the visitor center would have to be demolished and rebuilt or relocated.

What exactly is being proposed?

NCDOT has sent USFWS a right-of-way application to move approximately 3,000 feet of the highway about 150 feet west of where it runs now. The agencies are asking the public for input on that application.

What would happen to the visitor center and nearby facilities?

The realignment would require demolishing and rebuilding, or relocating, the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. The same applies to the NPS-managed restroom facility, its wastewater system and the associated parking areas.

Under the proposal, the visitor center and restroom facility would be rebuilt or moved to an alternate site nearby. A small parking area would stay near the existing visitor center, giving access to the North Pond Wildlife Trail and the refuge impoundments.

Why is NCDOT proposing to move the road?

NCDOT’s proposal is meant to reduce the highway’s vulnerability to coastal hazards. The agencies cite ocean overwash in particular, which has flooded and damaged the roadway and caused closures lasting multiple days.

How can people comment?

Comments are accepted from Nov. 10 through Nov. 24, 2026. Project information and instructions for submitting comments are on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website. Comments can also be sent by email to [email protected] or by mail to P.O. Box 1969, Manteo, NC 27954.

Why does it matter for visitors to Pea Island?

The proposal touches several places that visitors use on this part of Hatteras Island: the refuge visitor center, the restroom facility with its wastewater system, the parking areas and the road itself. Overwash has flooded and damaged the roadway and shut it for several days at a time, according to the news release.

The plan keeps a small parking area near the current visitor center, so access to the North Pond Wildlife Trail and the refuge impoundments would remain.

Source: National Park Service