Proposed N.C. bridge could attract businesses, study says

CURRITUCK, N.C.

A bridge from Aydlett to Corolla could attract 34 businesses, including a hotel on the mainland side, and create 468 new jobs, according to an economic development study done for Currituck County.

However, the jobs would average only $20,500 annually, and the commercial district could add to clutter on U.S. 158, the study said.

The hope is that proper planning can upgrade the jobs and the look.

"The idea is to put some sort of control on the property, maybe an overlay district or conditional zoning," Peter Bishop, economic development director for Currituck County, said Friday.

Up scale retail stores and restaurants would be preferable, he said. "We have only so much control legally," he said.

Brent Lane, director of the Carolina Center for Competitive Economies at the University of North Carolina, gave a report Thursday to about 25 officials as part of a study that began two years ago and is scheduled to conclude near the end of the year.

The study will evaluate the county's demographics, visitor interests, land availability and work force, among other things, at a cost of $140,000.

Statistics on commercial growth around the planned midcounty bridge were based in large part on development near the Wright Memorial Bridge.

Tourists driving to the Outer Banks are passing through without spending much money. A mid county bridge would shorten the drive by nearly an hour, enough that people vacationing on the Outer Banks would cross it to shop on the mainland if tolls are not too high, Lane said.

Early estimates have tolls on the proposed 7-mile-long bridge ranging between $8 and $12 one way. County officials have proposed issuing week long passes at a reduced cost for tourists.

The Senate version of the state budget includes $15 million annually in public money that may help reduce tolls.

The North Carolina Turnpike Authority is seeking private companies to help design, construct and maintain the bridge, now estimated to be finished by 2013 at a cost of $636 million.

The study also identified 625 young, growing companies in Hampton Roads that could locate successfully in Currituck County. An ideal company would employ 25 to 50 people in a building 25,000 to 40,000 square feet.

Currituck County plans to market itself to businesses. On Monday, three companies will make presentations vying for a chance to run the marketing campaign.

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com