Most comments favor replacing Bonner Bridge

Oregon Inlet, N.C.

More than 4,000 people sent comments to the North Carolina Department of Transportation this summer expressing their opinions on plans to replace Bonner Bridge across Oregon Inlet.

Only nine opposed the agency's preferred course of action: replacing the aging structure as soon as possible.

That's both an overwhelming response and an undeniable message that NCDOT has the public's support to move forward, said Drew Joyner, who is leading the NCDOT's team charged with counting, reviewing and recording every comment.

Bonner Bridge has been at the center of debate for more than 20 years. On an average summer day in 2002 - the last time traffic-volume figures were recorded - 12,700 cars traveled across Bonner Bridge. That number is projected to reach 22,000 by 2025, NCDOT spokeswoman Dara Demi said.

Although the bridge, built in 1963, is rated structurally deficient, people have not always agreed on the best resolution.

A final decision could be reached by the end of the year, however.

The collected comments will weigh heavily, Joyner said, as NCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration proceed to the next step. Officials could either issue a record of decision - which would trigger the end of planning and the start of implementation - or they could choose further study, Joyner said.

The majority of comments clearly support a record of decision, he added.

"Best-case scenario would be us starting construction two years from now," Joyner said.

Over the past two decades, the public has had multiple opportunities to submit written comments or speak at hearings. This time, the public was asked to comment specifically on the environmental assessment signed by

NCDOT in May.

That document identifies NCDOT's preferred course of action to replace the bridge as soon as possible.

The document also eliminates from consideration the "long bridge" alternative, which would require the construction of a 17-mile structure to bypass N.C. 12 through the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. That plan is supported by the Southern Environmental Law Center, which contends it is a safer and less environmentally damaging alternative.

Joyner noted that comments from other government agencies or large interest groups, such as the Southern Environmental Law Center, are not included in the public-comment total.

Those responses, typically lengthier, are being reviewed separately. In its submission, the Southern Environmental Law Center reiterated its opposition to NCDOT's plan, Joyner said.

Some public responses came from as far away as Texas, Demi said.

"I think that's very interesting and speaks to the passion," Demi said. "They want their voices heard."

Erin James, (252) 441-1711 erin.james@pilotonline.com