From the Viginia Pilot's Jeff Hampton, He provide's feedback from the public meetings around the area below:
By Jeff Hampton
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 23, 2010
CURRITUCK COUNTY, N.C.
Opinions on a bridge to the Outer Banks depend on the neighborhood.
During public hearings held last week by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, Corolla and Aydlett residents generally opposed the five-mile span. Residents in Duck and Southern Shores, though, mostly supported the bridge.
Groups have formed on both sides: Build the Bridge - Preserve Our Roads in support and No Mid-Currituck Bridge in opposition. Each has a website and advertises on billboards.
"I feel like this is a want, not a need," Corolla resident Nancy Baker said. "I don't want to pay $800 million to solve traffic flow."
Baker was one of about 125 people who attended a hearing in Corolla on Wednesday. A hearing was also held in Kill Devil Hills on Tuesday and another in Barco on Thursday.
"On balance, the benefits outweigh the negatives," said Duck resident Allan Starr, among a minority who spoke in favor of the bridge at the Corolla hearing.
The North Carolina Turnpike Authority proposes building a bridge across the Currituck Sound from Ayd-lett to Corolla, ranging in cost from about $600 million to more than $1 billion.
The project has been debated for more than 20 years and went through public hearings in the 1990s with opinions divided according to locality. Lack of funding and environmental issues delayed the project.
Options include a five- mile span across the sound that would turn into a short road through Aydlett before becoming a bridge again through two miles of swamp to intersect with U.S. 158.
Toll plazas would sit at the U.S. 158 intersection just south of Coinjock. Aydlett Road would remain in place parallel to the bridge.
In another configuration, the bridge would end at the Aydlett shoreline and merge into a road that would travel through the swamp to U.S. 158. Aydlett Road would be closed and toll plazas would sit in Aydlett.
Currituck County officials who have supported the bridge oppose building toll plazas in Aydlett and further disturbing the community.
Building a road through the swamp saves about $60 million on the project, b ut environmental agencies prefer a bridge to allow free flow of water and wildlife.
On the Corolla side, the bridge could connect to N.C. 12 near the TimBuck II commercial complex or near the Corolla Bay subdivision about two miles north.
Another alternative is not to build a bridge and instead widen existing highways.
Aydlett is a community set along the Currituck Sound without traffic lights, gas stations or convenience stores.
Most residents own at least a small boat, part of an old tradition of traversing the sound without a bridge. Many tend gardens as large as small farms. The bridge would destroy the rural character and quiet lifestyle, residents say.
In Corolla, a tourist resort area, the bridge would increase day-trippers and burden N.C. 12 with more traffic, not less, opponents said.
Corolla lacks parking and other facilities to handle the swell of day-trippers. Crime would increase because of the extra escape route offered by a bridge, opponents said.
"Day-trippers bring their own food and beer and leave their trash," Corolla resident Barry Richmond said during Wednesday's public hearing.
In Duck and Southern Shores, traffic would probably decrease with a new bridge. Now, traffic clogs on N.C. 12 as it winds north from Southern Shores to Corolla.
Travelers heading to Corolla would take the bridge, trimming about an hour off the circuitous route through southern Currituck, across the Wright Memorial Bridge into Dare County and then north about 20 miles on N.C. 12 through Duck to Corolla.
Hurricane evacuation and medical services would be faster, supporters said. Currituck County employees and construction workers would have a quicker trip to the Outer Banks.
The public can make comments to the Turnpike Authority through June 7. The state plans to make a decision on the preferred option in August and issue a final environmental impact statement in September.
If approved, construction would begin in 2011 and the bridge would open by 2014.
The bridge would be built and operated by a private developer with state oversight. Tolls could run from $6 to $12 each way. The state sets aside $15 million annually to help pay for the bridge.
