Restoring the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: March 2024 Update

The Cape Hatteras Light Station restoration at Cape Hatteras National Seashore made major progress in March 2024 (update dated April 12, 2024), readying both the lighthouse and its grounds for the next stages.

Scaffolding reaches the top of the lighthouse. NPS Photo.

The month's progress

• Exterior scaffolding reached the top of the lighthouse, more than 200 feet up. Its top section and an external supply elevator were to follow in the coming weeks.
• Interior scaffolding reached the third landing.
• Work began on matching bricks for patches and repairs.
• Paint removal was tested on the lighthouse's base. Crews must take off every layer of paint without damaging the brick beneath: chemical strippers worked least well, and vapor blasting, similar to sandblasting, worked best.
• The team worked with local engineers to reproduce the striped pattern exactly when repainting.
• The first sections of new pathway were poured.

A temporary light

A temporary beacon was acquired: an LED array, approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, to be mounted on top of the scaffolding and switched on once the current beacon is turned off. It is visible for 18 miles and flashes every 7.5 seconds.

A worker holds the temporary beacon installed at the top of the scaffolding for the restoration. NPS Photo.

Visiting

The grounds were open, but visitors were asked to be aware of the construction. A temporary walkway gave access to the Museum of the Sea while work on the landscape began.

Planned for April 2024

• Finish the exterior scaffolding.
• Install the temporary beacon.
• Finish the interior scaffolding.
• Keep paving the pathways.

Sources

Based on "Hatteras Light Station Restoration Update- March 2024," National Park Service, Cape Hatteras National Seashore; a work of the United States government in the public domain.