The NC Department of Transportation on Friday morning reopened a portion of NC 12 on Ocracoke Island damaged during Hurricane Florence, and began operating the popular Hatteras to Ocracoke ferry once again.

During the storm, a protective dune adjacent to the highway on the north end of the island washed away and a 1.5-mile section of road was damaged. NCDOT crews have worked to remove sand, water and debris from the road. Meanwhile, Barnhill Contracting of Rocky Mount was awarded an $806,000 emergency contract to repair pavement damage and reconstruct the protective dune, NCDOT said in a news release.

Repair work will continue while the road is open, so traffic control and periodic lane closures will be in place until the entire project is complete at the end of November.

Ferry service resumed at 4:30 a.m. Friday and will run on a fall schedule.

The schedule will be as follows:

• From Hatteras: 5, 6, 7, 8, 8:30, 9, 10, 10:30, 11, 11:30 a.m. and noon, 1, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3, 4, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6, 7:30, 8, 9, 11 p.m. and midnight.
• From Ocracoke: 4:30, 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10, 10:30, 11:30 a.m. and noon, 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2:30, 3, 3:30, 4, 4:30, 5:30, 6, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 9, 9:30, 10:30 p.m., and midnight.