With additional reporting from Sam Walker
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will tackle several high-priority coastal management issues at its November 19–20 meeting in Beaufort, including proposed rule changes that could affect how the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) protects N.C. Highway 12 and other storm-damaged roads along the coast.
One proposal on the CRC’s agenda would authorize the use of larger, nonstandard sandbags for temporary stabilization of public roadways that are repeatedly threatened by coastal storms.
N.C. Highway 12 on Northern Ocracoke Island on October 29.
Under the proposed amendment, the department could install protective sandbag structures up to 20 feet wide and six feet high. The rule change is designed to give NCDOT more flexibility when safeguarding critical infrastructure such as N.C. 12 on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, where overwash and erosion frequently destroy dune lines and expose the highway to direct wave action.
The commission will also review updated erosion rates and setback lines for Ocean Erodible and Inlet Hazard Areas, as well as revisions to septic-system rules in erosion-prone zones.
Beyond the Highway 12 proposals, commissioners are scheduled to take up a continuing procedural dispute over the designation of Jockey’s Ridge State Park as an Area of Environmental Concern (AEC). The state Rules Review Commission (RRC) objected on October 30 to language describing the dune’s characteristics, calling it “unnecessary” and inconsistent with statutory requirements for formal AEC designation.
The CRC must now decide whether to amend the rule or reaffirm its previous action. The rule describes Jockey’s Ridge as the tallest active sand dune on the Atlantic coast and would formally extend AEC boundaries between the sound and U.S. 158 in Nags Head. The issue has been repeatedly delayed since 2023 following multiple RRC objections.
The two-day Beaufort session will also include variance requests, hurricane and storm updates, and approval of the Topsail Beach Management Plan. A public comment period is scheduled for 9:05 a.m. on Nov. 20, with remarks limited to three minutes per speaker.
Both the Coastal Resources Commission and the Coastal Resources Advisory Council will meet at the Beaufort Hotel, 2440 Lennoxville Road, with an online viewing option available through the Division of Coastal Management’s website.