Governor Roy Cooper Directs $130 Million for Outer Banks and Pamlico Sound Coastal Living Shorelines

NAGS HEAD, N.C. — Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser announced on Monday the distribution of $130 million in state coastal resilience capital grants through the North Carolina Coastal Resilience Fund to engineer and construct twenty-five miles of bio-engineered oyster reef breakwaters, restore 3,500 acres of estuarine salt marshes, and elevate vulnerable low-lying segments of North Carolina Highway 12 across Dare, Hyde, and Carteret Counties on the Outer Banks.

The project deploys nature-based coastal engineering along the shallow waters of Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, placing recycled oyster shell reefs and rock sills that attenuate storm wave energy before it can erode fragile barrier island coastlines, while providing thriving habitat for blue crabs, red drum, and commercial shrimp.

Defending Coastal Highway 12 and Coastal Communities from Severe Nor'easters North Carolina's Outer Banks barrier islands face severe erosion from winter nor'easters and Atlantic hurricanes, where ocean storm overwash frequently severs NC Highway 12, isolating Hatteras and Ocracoke Island residents from emergency services and mainland supplies.

"The Outer Banks are an iconic part of North Carolina's identity and a vital driver of our state's tourism and commercial fishing economies," Governor Cooper said during an announcement at Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head. "As storms become more intense and sea levels rise, building rigid concrete seawalls is no longer enough. This $130 million investment harnesses nature to protect our coastline, building living oyster reefs that grow stronger over time, protecting Highway 12, and ensuring our coastal communities remain resilient for generations to come."

Coastal Project Packages Funded The $130 million program finances:

• Pamlico Sound Oyster Reef Sills: $55 million for twenty-five miles of rock-and-shell breakwaters buffering Hatteras Island.
• NC Highway 12 Rodanthe & Pea Island Road Elevation: $40 million to elevate low-lying asphalt roadway sections above storm surge levels.
• 3,500 Acres of Salt Marsh Bio-Restoration: $25 million for native Spartina grass plantings trapping coastal sediment.
• Community Resiliency Planning Grants: $10 million for Outer Banks municipal drainage and storm water gate upgrades.

Commercial watermen, barrier island mayors, and environmental conservation organizations praised the governor's investment, noting that living shorelines maintain coastal access while protecting commercial seafood harvesting.