Bodie Island ( / ˈ b ɒ d i / BAH -dee ) is a long, narrow barrier peninsula that forms the northernmost portion of the Outer Banks . The land that is most commonly referred to as Bodie Island was at one time a true island , but in 1811 Roanoke Inlet , which had separated it from the Currituck Banks in the north, closed. As a result, the Currituck Banks and Bodie Island are now one contiguous peninsula, joined at the Nags Head area, where the inlet once flowed. Today, either name can be used to refer to the peninsula as a whole, but both portions colloquially retain their historical names.
34-476: From the southern tip at Oregon Inlet , the peninsula stretches largely northwest out of North Carolina and into Virginia until terminating at Rudee Inlet at Owl Creek in Virginia Beach . At Sandbridge, Virginia Beach, Virginia , the peninsula is tied to the mainland by low tidal swamps and causeways road. The entire peninsula is approximately 72 miles in length, following the shoreline. The peninsula
68-402: A 4 on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the safest. In October 1990, a dredge collided with the bridge during a storm, causing severe damage to several of the spans. While isolated, Hatteras Island could only be accessed by boat or plane for many weeks while emergency construction was underway to replace its only highway link to the mainland. The Federal Highway Administration approved
102-544: A constant problem. The Bonner Bridge cost $ 4 million to build and moved up to 14,000 cars a day in both directions. Of that amount, the state of North Carolina paid $ 1.5 million, and the federal government paid $ 2.5 million. The arrangement for a portion of the state's cost to be paid by the National Park Service was arranged by Rep. Herbert C. Bonner, for whom the bridge is named. The bridge also made it possible to provide electric power to
136-486: A dedicated dredge, Miss Katie , to focus on keeping Oregon Inlet navigable. The Coast Guard station at Oregon Inlet is currently located at its fourth site since it began as a lifesaving station in 1883. It was one of 29 lifesaving stations Congress approved and appropriated funds for a decade earlier. By 1888, the Oregon Inlet Station had to be relocated to a new site. It is assumed that this relocation
170-572: A modernization program in 1933–34, the Oregon Inlet Station was extensively modified to look very much like it does today. In 1979, a new extension was added. By 1988, the station was completely abandoned when the southward migration of the Oregon Inlet threatened to swallow it. In July 1990, a ceremonial ground breaking was held for a new $ 3.5 million building, located just behind the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, on
204-527: A new bridge as soon as possible." Until it was safe to reopen, The NCDOT Ferry Division provided emergency support to move cars and trucks across the Pamlico Sound between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point . After sand was dredged to support some of its pilings, the bridge reopened to traffic on December 15, 2013. On December 16, 2015, crews from Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative began moving underground electric cables, which were subsequently attached to
238-417: A problem for the fishing industry, recreational boating, and other maritime interests for decades. Since 1950, when Congress first authorized the dredging of the inlet, the channel has been shallower than planned most of the time and was sometimes closed altogether. In addition to the economic harm caused to the maritime community, several ships and lives have been lost. In 2022, Dare County contracted for
272-483: A reference to Christ's sacrifice). In reality, pelicans masticate food and then feed this bloody liquid from their beaks to their pelican chicks. The Bodie family history is noted extensively in Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia Folklore sometimes attributes the naming of the island to the dead "bodies" of drowned sailors that washed up from the ships that ran aground and sank off
306-487: Is an inlet along North Carolina 's Outer Banks . It joins the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separates Bodie Island from Pea Island , which are connected by the 2.8-mile (4.5 km) Marc Basnight Bridge that spans the inlet. As one of the few access points to the ocean along this stretch of coast, Oregon Inlet is a major departure point for charter fishing trips, with a nearby harbor serving as
340-620: Is home to two lighthouses, Bodie Island Light and Currituck Beach Light . The Wright Brothers National Monument also has a beacon and is found on the peninsula. Jockey's Ridge , the tallest sand dune on the East Coast , is found on the peninsula. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore protects the southernmost part of Bodie Island, and the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge , Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park protect portions of
374-571: The Currituck Inlet and Musketo Inlets along with Caffey's Inlet to the south in the vicinity of Duck once existed, which made the Currituck Banks itself a chain of barrier islands. Currituck Inlet served as the boundary between the two states in the early 18th century. The old Currituck Inlet closed around 1728, Caffey's Inlet closed in 1811, New Currituck Inlet had closed by 1828 and Musketo Inlet finally closed in 1882 creating
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#1732772245728408-655: The Mid-Currituck Bridge are currently on hold. 35°51′N 75°35′W / 35.85°N 75.58°W / 35.85; -75.58 Oregon Inlet Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 168906656 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:37:25 GMT Oregon Inlet Oregon Inlet
442-493: The Spanish Armada . At that time, three pelicans vulning themselves were added to their coat of arms. The heraldic pelican, one of the few female beasts in heraldry, is shown with a sharp stork-like beak, which it uses to vuln (pierce or wound) her own breast. This is per the bestiary myth that a female pelican wounded herself thus to feed her chicks. This symbol of sacrifice carries a particular religious meaning (usually
476-552: The Bonner Bridge and NC 12 from the ocean. The bridge was due for replacement by the early 1990s but construction on the new bridge had been continually held back by environmental lawsuits brought by the Southern Environmental Law Center . The Bonner Bridge was expected to have a thirty-year lifespan. The bridge handled about 2 million cars per year, and the state DOT ranked it
510-533: The Currituck Banks on NC highway 12. The north end of the peninsula is accessible by Sandpiper and Sandfiddler Roads via Sandbridge Road, but there is no highway connecting the Virginia portion of the Currituck Banks with the North Carolina portion, and even driving on the beach is no longer permitted north of the North Carolina border. Plans for an additional access point near Corolla which would be called
544-682: The Outer Banks in what is now known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic but that is incorrect. Inlets frequently open and close along the Outer Banks , making landform naming inconsistent. Bodie Island, when it was an island, extended farther south than it does today. The island was originally formed around 1738, when New Inlet opened, separating Bodie Island from Hatteras Island to the south. The opening of Oregon Inlet in 1846 truncated
578-531: The base for many large boats that travel miles out towards the Gulf Stream almost every day. The inlet is also the location of a U.S. Coast Guard motor lifeboat station. Oregon Inlet was formed when a hurricane lashed the Outer Banks in 1846, separating Bodie Island from Pea Island. One ship that rode out that storm in Pamlico Sound was named the Oregon . After the storm the crew members of this ship were
612-503: The bridge due to immediate safety concerns. Routine sonar scanning of the bridge identified scouring concerns, or areas where too much sand has eroded from the support structure of the bridge. "Closing the Bonner Bridge is necessary to keep all travelers safe, but we know it will have a devastating effect on the people who live along and visit the Outer Banks," said NCDOT Secretary Tony Tata. "We will work to safely reopen this vital lifeline quickly, and hope to be able to begin construction on
646-771: The darkening waves, keeping silent watch over the treacherous waters known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” The lighthouse, now called Bodie Island Light Station and sporting a fresnel lens, remains standing and can be visited in the summer months. Bodie Island was originally known as Bodie's Island or Body's Island and was named for a family of that name, variously written as "Body" "Boddye" "Boddy" and "Bodie" that settled there. Robert Boddy/Boddie emigrated to Virginia from London, England on August 10, 1635, on HMS Safety. He settled in Isle of Wight and some of his descendants later settled in what later became North Carolina , South Carolina and Mississippi . (The Bodie Plantation , once
680-574: The fact that during its three-year construction it had already become widely known as the New Bonner Bridge and had been repeatedly referred to as such in news articles. The decision to name the new bridge for Basnight was controversial and was opposed by many residents of Hatteras Island who wanted it to be named for Bonner. The bridge received the Deep Foundation Institute ’s Outstanding Project Award in 2019 due to
714-441: The first to tell those on the mainland about the inlet's formation. Hence, it has been known as Oregon Inlet ever since. Like many other inlets along the Outer Banks, Oregon Inlet moves southward due to drifting sands during tides and storms. It has moved south over two miles (3.2 km) since 1846, averaging around 66 feet (20 m) per year. Shoaling of the channel through Oregon Inlet caused by this movement of sand has been
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#1732772245728748-457: The islands using transmission lines rather than generators. The environmental impact on the Bonner bridge and road was not fully understood at the time of construction, and now constant beach erosion, severe weather and high volume of traffic continually forces the state to protect the integrity of the road system. As much as $ 50 million was spent between 1987 and 1999 to repair and protect
782-469: The last of the legal obstacles were handled after a judge ruled in favor of the new bridge to be constructed. Construction was set to begin in early 2013 but was halted once again after an appeal was filed by the SELC. The new bridge was then to open to traffic in spring 2015 and the majority of the existing bridge was to be demolished (a portion will remain as a fishing pier). On December 3, 2013, NCDOT closed
816-427: The long peninsula extending from Sandbridge to Oregon Inlet that is seen today. Explorer John Lawson mentions Bodies Island just once in his 1709 book A New Voyage to Carolina , when discussing fauna of North Carolina, in particular, a species of rabbit. He wrote the following: "I was told of several that were upon Bodies Island by Ronoak, which came from that Ship of Bodies." This would indicate that Bodie Island
850-507: The north side of the inlet. The new station was designed with the traditional architectural design of older stations located on the Outer Banks in mind. The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge was a two-lane automobile bridge spanning the Oregon Inlet, between Bodie Island from Pea Island, in Dare County, North Carolina . The bridge carried NC 12 and was utilized by local and seasonal tourist traffic. The 2.7-mile (4.3 km) bridge
884-502: The northern part of the peninsula. "Tucked away between tall pine trees and freshwater marshland, the Bodie Island Light presents anything but a typical lighthouse setting. Though not as well-known as its neighbors, it remains an important part of local history and a favorite spot for visitors. And still every evening, amidst the water towers and blinking radio antennae of modern development, its powerful light beams out across
918-402: The old Bonner Bridge, that connected Hatteras Island to the cooperative's power supplier Dominion North Carolina Power . This was done in order for construction of the new bridge to begin and signaled the beginning of the bridge construction process. The official groundbreaking for construction of the new bridge was held on March 8, 2016. The project cost $ 252 million and the new bridge
952-493: The plan to replace the bridge over Oregon Inlet that connects with Pea Island and lies within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore . It would be longer and curve farther inland and was expected to cost approximately $ 1.3 billion and be completed by 2014, although it was likely to be later. On July 26, 2011, NCDOT awarded a $ 215.8 million contract to replace the bridge. In September 2013
986-480: The southern portion of Bodie Island, forming a new island situated between Bodie and Hatteras. The new barrier island was given the name Pea Island , but the wider, more powerful Oregon Inlet led to the eventual closure of New Inlet around 1933. Pea Island thus became a part of Hatteras Island until 2011 when New Inlet reopened during Hurricane Irene . Near the North Carolina-Virginia state line,
1020-420: Was built in 1963 and was dedicated to Herbert C. Bonner . Prior to the building of the Bonner bridge, Hatteras Island was only accessible by air or ferry. Ferries could carry a maximum of 2,000 people per day. The ferries cost the state $ 500,000 per year to operate, and there were very long lines waiting for the ferries during peak season. Due to the constantly shifting sandbars in the inlet, groundings were
1054-479: Was expected to open in February 2019. A crew working on the bridge on July 27, 2017, severed a power cable and caused a widespread blackout on the Outer Banks islands. 50,000 tourists had to be evacuated until power was restored August 3, 2017. The 2.8-mile-long (4.5 km) bridge opened February 25, 2019. On March 7, 2019, state board of transportation voted to name the new bridge for Marc Basnight despite
Bodie Island - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-417: Was necessary because of the shifting of the channel to the south and the encroachment of the ocean from the east. The station was decommissioned and moved to a new safer location some 400 feet (120 m) westward toward the sound. Less than a decade later a storm totally destroyed the Oregon Inlet Station. By 1897, a new station was under construction and was completed in 1898 for less than $ 7,000. As part of
1122-472: Was of the largest plantations in Mississippi is now Tougaloo College , an HBCU ( historically black colleges and universities ). Bodie Island was named for his descendants who settled the area. The family was originally from Ingatestone , Essex , England which is where their coat of arms originated as well, with an augmentation by Elizabeth I to John Boddie for service during the naval battle with
1156-558: Was so named as early as 1709. The following is a list of places found on the peninsula, listed from south to north. Bodie Island can be accessed from North Carolina mainland from the Wright Memorial Bridge, originally built in 1966. It can also be accessed from U.S. Route 64 since the Washington Baum Bridge opened in 1994. Motorists driving north on the Outer Banks from Hatteras and Pea Islands reach
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