$0M
Project
0.5
Miles

The Project

RK&K served as the Lead Designer and Engineer of Record for the 2.46-mile-long NC 12 “Jug-Handle” bridge project over the Pamlico Sound. Since 2010, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has spent millions of dollars per year to maintain this portion of NC 12 along the Outer Banks by removing tons of sand pushed onto the roadway by repetitive storms from the Atlantic Ocean. Named for its unique shape, the “Jug-Handle” is the ninth longest bridge in North Carolina and provides residents and tourists of the region reliable and safe travel for decades to come.

With a horizontal alignment that narrowly bypasses a historic sunken ship, the 12,987-foot-long bridge, including 107 total spans carries NC 12 and necessary utility lines over the Pamlico Sound. At 40-foot wide, two-lane bridge maintains bicycle safe rails and has a minimum of 17 feet of clearance above mean sea level (MSL). The new bridge begins with transition spans constructed of 24” cored slab sections, then curves north, supported by 72” Florida I-Beams.

By utilizing nearly every in-house engineering discipline, RK&K’s design elevated this portion of NC 12 onto a bridge that extends from the southern end of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge over the Pamlico Sound into Rodanthe. RK&K’s design minimized impacts to the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and the community of Rodanthe, while maintaining safe and reliable access for area residents and visitors to southern Hatteras Island.

RK&K’s design also included an innovative roundabout that reduced right-of-way costs by avoiding retail properties in the area and offered traffic calming benefits due to lower speeds through the intersection.

“The geotechnical team worked closely with the structural engineers & the DB contractor to design a cost efficient and constructible bridge foundation system. Geotech staff were an integral part of the construction team during pile installation.”

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