News and Observer

8.1.06

Bridge on the Banks

Editorial

The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge connecting Bodie and Pea islands on the Outer Banks is proof in concrete and steel that beauty is only skin deep.

For all its soaring elegance, the Bonner bridge is overdue for replacement. It has served Bankers and tourists well, but even a mighty bridge can withstand only so much battering by storms, collisions with vessels and pressures from the strong and ever-shifting currents of Oregon Inlet.

Replacing the bridge is not optional. It is the lifeline connecting Hatteras Island to the world. The question is, where should the new structure go?

Federal Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne now has thrown his considerable influence behind a plan to erect the new bridge beside the current span. That is the route favored by many state and local officials, primarily because it would be faster and cheaper to build.

But environmentalists, other federal officials and many residents of the area have a broader view. They see the bridge as part of a larger effort to protect not only the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge but the entire strip of barrier islands.

Their alternative is unquestionably more expensive and definitely would take longer to build. It calls for erecting the new bridge far out over the waters of Pamlico Sound. Highway 12 would also be relocated to the sound side of the islands, shielding it from much of the ocean overwash common when storms come ashore.

Estimates for the so-called "short bridge" are in the neighborhood of $200 million, while the "long bridge" may cost as much as $1.2 billion. That's a lot of money but the return could be equally impressive.

Building further from the ocean would be less disruptive to wildlife and the ecosystems on those narrow islands. Moving Highway 12, even with the added expense of locating part of the new road on raised causeways, would in the long run be cheaper and provide a more reliable escape route.

North Carolina has been praised for its stewardship of the Outer Banks. Such concern requires vision and money. By spending more now, the state can fulfill its important environmental mission while ensuring the safety of visitors and residents.