Part 9 - Oregon Inlet - The Outer Banks

Oregon Inlet is an inlet along North Carolina's Outer Banks and was created during a fierce hurricane in 1846 that also reopened Hatteras Inlet, and is named for the first vessel to pass through it, the side-wheel steamer Oregon. It joins the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separates Bodie Island from Pea Island and Hatteras Island, which are connected by a 2.5 mile 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 the base for many large boats that travel miles out towards the Gulf Stream almost every day. Oregon Inlet is the northern-most inlet in North Carolina.
The inlet is spanned by the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which opened in 1963 and was named in honor of a local Congressman from Washington, N.C. Prior to that, Toby Tillett operated a barge ferry service to take cars and passengers back and forth.
Oregon Inlet is spanned by North Carolina Route 12 over the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. The environment’s impact on the 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 the Bonner Bridge and NC 12 from the ocean.
Inlets tend to migrate to the south and Oregon Inlet is no exception. Since its creation, it has moved some two miles, some 66 feet a year and greatly change it's appearance. In 1990 a terminal groin was built to halt the migration of the southern portion of the inlet and to secure the southern terminus of the Bonner Bridge. A dredge maintains the inlet's channel, which is always shoaling with the ever-moving sand created by the outflow.