LATEST DEVELOPMENTS – GET INVOLVED NOW
Let Your Voice Be Heard
Make Public Comments before the August 9 Deadline
You still have time to make a difference about the future of the Bonner Bridge. Even though the public hearings have concluded, on-line, e-mail and written comments will continue to be accepted until August 9, 2010.
Please submit a comment before it is too late. You do not have to be a North Carolina resident. In fact, everyone is a stakeholder in this bridge including residents, visitors, vacation property owners, and all those who visit the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area.
During the recent public hearings, there was unanimous public support for immediate replacement of the Bonner Bridge. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) conducted the hearings on their Environmental Assessment outlining a new Preferred Alternative calling for construction of a new parallel bridge, next to the existing structure, as quickly as possible.
Key components of the new NCDOT Preferred Alternative include –
- Replacing the Bonner Bridge immediately with a new parallel bridge
- Eliminating the “Long Bridge” Alternative, which is impractical and unfundable
- Adopting a Transportation Management Plan for NC Highway 12
- Recommend immediate construction without further environmental studies & delays
This plan is supported by Dare County, the Federal Highway Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, along with Congressmen Walter Jones, G.K. Butterfield, Howard Coble, and Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan. NC Senate Pro Tempore Marc Basnight has twice pleaded with President Obama for assistance. His letters to the White House are available for viewing on this website.
Replacing the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge NOW is critical. When built in 1963, the bridge had a life expectancy of 30 years. Replacing this vital link to Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is now 17 years overdue. Work on a new bridge was planned to begin in 2010, but environmental issues have repeatedly delayed construction.
This is a decisive point for the future of the Bonner Bridge. Let your voice be heard –
For a direct link to NCDOT to make on-line comments:
Click Here
For information on how to submit e-mail & written comments:
Click Here
The deadline for public comments is August 9, 2010 |
