A one-year project road paving project has kicked off at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina, with many of the paved roads and parking areas within the national seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial targeted for rehabilitation.

Work for the nearly $7 million project is to consist of pavement preservation treatment (thin overlay, chip seal, and microsurfacing), asphalt patching, crack cleaning and sealing, and striping.

Over the next two months, pavement preservation work will be completed along Lighthouse Road in Buxton; the Cape Point and Frisco campgrounds; and public parking areas in the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse district, Sandy Bay and Frisco day use areas, and Billy Mitchell Airstrip.

After a three-month summer break (from the Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day) work will begin to preserve some paved roads and parking areas on Ocracoke Island, followed by additional preservation work on Hatteras and Bodie islands. Once work is completed within Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the contractor will begin working at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial. The pavement preservation project is expected to be completed next spring.

Full road closures are not anticipated during the project; however, delays will occur due to temporary one-lane closures. Temporary closures of parking areas and campground loops will occur while preservation work is being done in those areas.

The National Park Service will regularly publish progress updates, notifications of temporary construction closures, and project photos to a webpage dedicated to keeping the public informed during this complex project.