NC-12 closed indefinitely after 500 feet of Outer Banks storm damage near Pea Island

OUTER BANKS, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation says NC-12, the road through Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, was impassible Friday morning.

"The road is currently covered in 4' of water in some areas, as well as deep sand," NCDOT posted on social media. "At this point, it is impossible to assess the extent of any road damage, but once we do, we will have a better idea of repair/reopening options."

The road, considered Hatteras Island's lifeline, is closed indefinitely from the Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe.

A North Carolina Department of Transportation official who's been there more than a decade told WTKR it's damage he's never seen before.

While the highway closing due to ocean overwash during a storm is nothing new, the storm actually caused nearly 500 feet of damage to the road near the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.

"The dunes got breached, the road was overwashed with severe overwash, and so we closed the road at that time between the Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe. We have discovered in the meantime that some of the road, about a 500-foot section of NC-12, has been undermined and is undermined and/or damaged in that section," said Tim Hass, the communications officer for NCDOT Division One and Ferry Division.

Hass said that in his more than 13 years in his position, he's never seen this type of damage to the road before.

Drivers are encouraged to monitor DriveNC.gov for continued up-to-date information on road conditions as the community continues to navigate this storm.

The coastal low impacting the Outer Banks and Hampton Roads is expected to bring strong winds, coastal flooding and heavy rain to much of the East Coast over the weekend, with a powerful nor'easter bringing its strongest winds to Cape Cod.

Peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph (97 to 105 kph) on the Cape and the nearby islands on Friday night and Saturday, compared with about 50 to 55 mph (80 to 89 kph) around Boston and 35 to 40 mph (56 to 64 kph) farther inland, according to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts.

This is a developing story, so check back with WTVR.com for updates. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have info, photos or videos to share.