By Cindy Beamon
Staff writer Daily Advance
Saturday, May 22, 2010

CURRITUCK — Plans for a mid-county bridge from Currituck’s mainland to the Outer Banks drew sharp criticism during a public hearing Thursday night even though opponents feared that its construction is “inevitable.”

More than 80 residents, many wearing “no mid-county bridge” stickers, attended the last of three public hearings on possible options for the seven-mile span estimated to cost $680 million.

The N.C. Turnpike Authority has recommended construction of the bridge to help improve traffic flow, reduce travel time and improve hurricane evacuation routes to and from the Outer Banks. Although some comments focused on specifics of the plan, the majority of speakers at Thursday’s hearing said they would prefer that the bridge not be built at all.

“I don’t want a bridge period,” Rosalie Jones of Aydlett said before the hearing. “But if we do have to have it, we don’t want the toll (plaza) to be in Aydlett. We want it to be on (U.S. Highway) 158.”

The bridge was not without it supporters, however.

Lisa Ray, a member of the government relations committee for the Currituck Chamber of Commerce, said the bridge would create “orderly future growth” for the county by opening up many job and business opportunities.

Brian Innes of Barco added that tourism is important to the county, and that the bridge would support a major source of income for the community.

The Turnpike Authority plans to review comments from the three public hearings before making a final recommendation for the project. The decision is “not a vote of the people” but comments are considered in the process, said Turnpike representatives.

The authority plans to seek approval of its Final Environmental Impact Statement in September. If approved, construction on the bridge could begin in 2011 and be completed by 2014, the Turnpike Authority projects.

Many of the speakers at Thursday’s meeting questioned if their comments would make a difference in the Turnpike’s decision-making.

“Hearing comments is one thing. Action on the comments is another thing,” said Butch Petrey of Grandy.

Plans for the two-lane toll bridge across the Currituck Sound has drawn sharp criticism, especially from residents of Aydlett, whose quiet community would be the approach site for the bridge.

Public outcry about the location of the toll plaza and the Aydlett access has “been heard loud and clear,” Chief Engineer Steve DeWitt said at an earlier meeting. Residents have heavily lobbied against one construction option that would eliminate Aydlett Road and place the toll plaza near the community.

Although Aydlett residents argued the finer points of the plan at Thursday’s hearing, those who spoke mostly focused on the drawbacks of building a mid-county bridge altogether.

“I don’t know anyone who lives in Aydlett that welcomes the mid-county bridge,” said Adylett resident Mike Doxey.

In addition to the obvious impacts, Doxey pointed out that the bridge would disrupt the duck-hunting tradition in the area by wiping out 20-30 duck blinds.

Meleen Webb of Coinjock said the bridge would disrupt the quality of life in the area.

“You are going to destroy everything that makes our county special,” she said.

Webb said the beauty of the night sky, untainted by light pollution, would be a thing of the past.

Business owners in the Aydlett area also expressed concern about the impacts bridge construction would have on access to their businesses.

The bridge is supposed to offer a quicker exit off the Outer Banks in the event of a hurricane. Speakers at the meeting questioned that premise, however.

Some complained that traffic would bottleneck on the two-lane road leading to Elizabeth City or would have to merge with heavy traffic in Virginia.

Anther complaint was that day traffic to the Outer Banks would increase once the bridge shortens travel time to the Outer Banks.

“The problem is it’s going to increase the flow of traffic,” said Mack Pierce of Coinjock.

He feared that more commuters from Norfolk, Va., would congest roads and even increase crime as the Outer Banks becomes more accessible.

One speaker countered that the increase of “day-trippers” to the Outer Banks would have a positive effect.

Sam Taylor of Duck said the new bridge would cut the travel distance from the mainland to the Outer Banks by 63 minutes. He estimated that 99 percent of the people who benefit would be Currituck residents who do not live on the Outer Banks.