Mid-Curituck Bridge exploring additional option of Configuration

The Turnpike Authority came into the County to discuss another design idea for the bridge to improve traffic flow and likely to lessen the overall blow of the environmental impact. Commissioner Nelms commented in the article below from the Daily Advance and seems to already know it is not feasible and says the board doesn't support removing the stars from Aydlett...which is a daunting feasibilty effort in its own right. Below is the article from the Daily Advance's Toby Tate.

New Currituck bridge option unveiled

Aydlett Road concerns raised
By Toby Tate
Staff Writer

Monday, October 12, 2009

About 40 Currituck residents turned out Monday evening to hear engineers from the North Carolina Turnpike Authority discuss a new plan for the proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge.

The purpose of the new bridge, according to the Turnpike Authority, is to substantially improve traffic flow on the project area’s thoroughfare between N.C. Highway 12 and U.S. Highway 158, to reduce travel time for those traveling between the Currituck mainland to the Outer Banks and to reduce hurricane clearance time during an evacuation.

The project, which includes three different alternative plans, would likely include road improvements and the widening of parts of U.S. 158 and N.C. 12.

According to NCTA Engineer Jennifer Harris, the latest option, called simply “Option B,” would include taking out Aydlett Road and moving traffic to the new road.

“We’ve been studying this project for a few years and doing the engineering work under a few parameters and a few assumptions,” Harris said. “An idea will be presented which could save the project a considerable amount of money and help the project be more financially feasible as well as from a natural environment standpoint provide some improvements.”

The improvements to the Option B plan include relocating the toll collection booths and putting Aydlett Road traffic on the new highway. All but a small portion of Aydlett Road would then be removed, Harris said.

“Aydlett Road is essentially a dam in between two parts of Maple Swamp — it keeps the swamp from being a continuous natural feature,” she said.

First, according to Harris, an environmental impact study would be completed to determine if the plan is feasible. The plan would save the approximately $660 million project about $60 million, Harris said, and protect the natural environment of the Maple Swamp area.

Most of the local residents, however, voiced concerns about the feasibility of the plan, about how the project would be paid for and about how the road would affect Aydlett residents.

Currituck Commissioner Barry Nelms also voiced his concerns at the meeting about Option B.

“Plan B is not feasible and board stands against it,” he said. “You are obviously catering to the environmentalists by moving (Aydlett) road. To move it to their immediate neighborhood is going to take out the stars they see at night forever and that’s not acceptable to the residents of Aydlett,” he said.

NCTA Chief Engineer Steve Dewitt said his team was there to consider all possible options with the local community.

“I’m not here to sell a bridge,” he said. “I’m just here to talk about what elected officials asked us to do.”

The current timeline has the bridge open to traffic in 2013.

The U.S. Coast Guard will also be sending out a preliminary public notice to request navigational information in the Currituck Sound, Harris said.