July, 2005

 

Lyndo Tippett

NC Department of Transportation

1501 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC  27699-1501

 

            Re:  Bonner Bridge Replacement Project

 

Dear Secretary Tippett:

 

            We are writing to express our concerns regarding recent developments in the proposal to replace Bonner Bridge crossing Oregon Inlet in Dare County, North Carolina.  We recognize the need to replace Bonner Bridge and support construction of a new bridge that provides dependable transportation to Hatteras Island, is environmentally sound, and is economically reasonable.  The proposal now advocated by the Dare County Commissioners to replace Bonner Bridge with a parallel bridge and attempt to maintain Highway 12 to Rodanthe through beach nourishment fails to meet all these objectives.  Moreover, this alternative is incompatible with the purpose and management of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and violates the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act.  Pursuing this alternative can only lead to gridlock and more delay in replacement of Bonner Bridge.

 

            In July 2003, state and federal agencies agreed to pursue detailed environmental analysis of a long bridge alternative through Pamlico Sound that would bypass Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and the existing “hot spots” on Highway 12 south of Oregon Inlet that have been the subject of constant NC Department of Transportation (“NCDOT”) expenditures in response to rapid shoreline erosion.  If the environmental review and permitting process had moved forward from this point, the required environmental documentation would be complete, the decision finalized last month, construction would begin in August 2006, and the new bridge would be open to traffic in 2010.  Unfortunately, the Dare County Commissioners and Senator Basnight opposed this proposal.  On September 12, 2003, Governor Easley informed Senator Basnight that NCDOT would delay moving forward with the project to allow Dare County to propose an alternative.  On November 6, 2003, Dare County proposed replacement of Bonner Bridge with a parallel bridge and addressing the “hot spots” between the southern end of the bridge and Rodanthe through beach renourishment. 

 

            The Dare County proposal is more costly than the long bridge alternative and would provide less dependable transportation to Hatteras Island.  In March 2004, FDH Engineering, Inc. estimated that the cost of nourishing the beach to maintain Highway 12 in its current location for 100 years (the expected life of the bridge) would be nearly $1 billion ($930,000,000).  Another NCDOT analysis, using an unjustified 50-year project horizon, estimates total costs of the parallel bridge with nourishment at $657,000,000 to $660,000,000.    While the capital cost of constructing the long bridge would be more ($416,800,000) than the cost of constructing the short bridge ($268,407,000), the long bridge would avoid entirely the need for expensive beach nourishment and the total cost of the Dare County proposal greatly exceeds the cost of the long bridge.  In addition, traffic disruption would continue to occur through the “hot spots” after storms, and the Dare County alternative would provide less dependable transportation than the long bridge for residents and visitors to Hatteras Island.  Finally, the beach nourishment within Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge would be incompatible with the purposes of the Refuge, and the project could not be permitted by the Department of the Interior.

 

            Another alternative under consideration is to construct a short parallel bridge and relocate Highway 12 away from the ocean to address the rapid rate of shoreline erosion in the area south of the bridge.  This proposal would plow Highway 12 directly through Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge including the three impoundments that are critical to management of waterfowl and other water birds.  This alternative is clearly incompatible with the purposes of the Refuge, would violate the National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act, and can not be permitted by the Department of the Interior.  

 

            Legislation now pending in the North Carolina General Assembly would, if enacted, mandate construction of new bridge at essentially the location of the existing Bonner Bridge.  As discussed above, this would be much more costly in the long run, would be environmentally unsound, and would provide less dependable transportation to Hatteras Island.  The legislation also would lock the State and NCDOT into pursuing a bridge replacement that can not be permitted under federal law.  This will only result in more delay and is a dead end road that jeopardizes the residents and economy of Hatteras Island should the bridge fail while the State pursues this unpermittable alternative.  The shortest route to dependable transportation is the proposed long bridge to replace Bonner Bridge. 

 

We understand a principal motivation of some seeking to construct the short bridge is the reduced initial construction costs (not factoring in expensive maintenance south of the bridge).  There is a belief the reduced initial costs for the Bonner Bridge will allow funding sooner for a proposed mid-Currituck bridge to enable further development of the northern Outer Banks.  This is not only short-sighted but wrongly places the speculative interests of developers of the northern Outer Banks above the existing interests of the residents of Hatteras Island who need a dependable replacement of the Bonner Bridge soon.    

 

            The long bridge alternative bypassing Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and the “hot spots” along Highway 12 would provide the most dependable transportation to Hatteras Island in an environmentally sound manner and at a reasonable cost.  The Dare County alternative is incompatible with the purposes of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, is more costly, is environmentally unsound, and would provide less dependable transportation to Hatteras Island.  It is of note that the solid majority of Hatteras residents expressing written views on the proposal at DOT public meetings supported the long bridge alternative.  We also understand concerns about public access to the north end of Pea Island and believe access issues can be resolved if the long bridge is constructed.  We encourage DOT to continue to pursue the long bridge alternative and make it clear to Dare County that the other alternatives can not be permitted, are economically and environmentally unsound, and will only delay replacement of the bridge and potentially jeopardize the only transportation link to Hatteras Island. 

 

            We appreciate the opportunity to provide these comments.

 

            Sincerely yours,

 

 

 

Victor D’Amato

North Carolina Sierra Club

112 S. Blount Street

Raleigh, NC  27601

Michelle Duval, Ph.D

Environmental Defense

2500 Blue Ridge Rd., Suite 330

Raleigh, NC  27607

 

 

 

 

Chris Canfield

Audubon North Carolina

123 Kingston Dr., Suite 206A

Chapel Hill, NC  27514

 

 

 

 

Jan DeBlieu

North Carolina Coastal Federation

Post Office Box 475

Manteo, NC  27954

 

 

 

Larry Thompson

North Carolina Wildlife Federation

1024 Washington St.

Raleigh, NC  27605

 

 

 

Derb S. Carter, Jr.

Southern Environmental Law Center

200 W. Franklin St., Suite 330

Chapel Hill, NC  27516

 

 

 

Mike Nelson

Conservation Council of North Carolina

Post Office Box 12671

Raleigh, NC  27605

 

 

 

 

cc:        Governor Mike Easley

            Senator Elizabeth Dole

            Senator Richard Burr

            Congressman Walter Jones

            Senator Marc Basnight

            Sam Hamilton, USFWS

            NC Board of Transportation Members