Bonner Bridge replacement (NC)
Background
Long Bridge is Safer
A safety report commissioned by NCDOT and issued in June 2006 found that the long bridge would not be shut down until winds reached gale force speed of 39-46 mph, thus allowing travelers who heed the warnings to reach safety unimpeded. Once winds reach gale force speed, of course, travel on any road is restricted by the authorities. But Dare County’s goal is to complete the evacuation process before winds of this speed arrive, and the long bridge will fully meet this public safety goal. North Carolina’s own safety study of long bridges elsewhere found that they are in fact safer than the average two or four lane road in the state because there are no intersections or crossings, and that emergency response time has rarely been a problem. Importantly, if an accident were to occur in a storm, response to an incident on NC-12 could be much more delayed or even prevented due to standing water or sand washed onto the road. The fact of the matter is that the long bridge would be less likely to be shut down in the event of an accident and, consequently, emergency response crews would be more likely to reach an accident scene quickly.
Long Bridge is Cost Effective
According to a study DOT released in 2005, the cost of the long bridge, including maintenance, will be less than half of what the short bridge will cost. The study showed that the long bridge will cost $425 million to construct. When you add in the cost of necessary NC-12 maintenance and additional proposed bridges spanning problem areas on NC-12, the short bridge will cost from at least $629 million to over $1 billion depending on whose estimate you accept.
Long Bridge Protects Wildlife
North Carolina’s Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a vital nesting ground for endangered sea turtles and a perfect stop-over and wintering ground for countless shorebirds and waterfowl – a living testament to FWS management of the refuge. The long bridge would totally bypass this special place and the sensitive underwater aquatic vegetation that surrounds the refuge. The long bridge would affect just four acres of wetlands. Construction of the short bridge and associated new road building projects, however, would destroy over 78 acres of vital wetlands. Furthermore, because the continuous maintenance of NC-12 requires frequent dredging, beach filling, and bulldozing, areas that otherwise would provide perfect habitat for shorebirds and sea turtles would be degraded or destroyed.
