A major highway in eastern North Carolina will be closed for two weeks while crews work on a bridge to the Outer Banks, adding an hour’s drive for people headed to or from the area. The state DOT says Highway 64 will be closed at the Alligator River drawbridge for two weeks, starting tomorrow. That means drivers will have to take Highway 264 to the south or Highway 17 to the north to get to Manteo.
Karen Brown, president of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, says the chamber is encouraging workers who need to get to the Outer Banks to carpool. “We are going to be somewhat affected the next couple of weeks, I guess, with it being Spring Break,” Brown says. “Since schools locally are out, it does cut down on the school bus traffic. We're crossing our fingers and hoping that the two-week time period is it.”
The DOT says mechanical components of the bridge need to be repaired in order to prevent future closings. Transportation officials hope to reopen the bridge by the morning drive on April 15th.