Skip to main content

NCTA releases Mid-Currituck Bridge Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Image
By
On March 31st, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority released their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and recommended alternative for the Mid-Currituck Bridge

Of the three alternatives that saw the most scrutinization, the NCTA has recommended Option MCB4 to be built.  However, the Turnpike Authority has yet to decide on alignment 'C1' or 'C2' at the eastern end of the bridge.  The eastern terminus of the bridge will be at NC 12 in or near Corolla.  Option C1 lands at the southern end of Corolla Bay and about two miles north of the Albacore Street retail area.  Option C2 avoids Corolla Bay and meets NC 12 about a half mile south of Albacore Street.

In addition, the NCTA has yet to decide on the location of the toll booths on the mainland (US 158) side of the bridge.  The decision on the location of the toll booths has become a double edged sword as potential impacts to Maple Swamp and the Currituck Sound community of Aydlett has cause the most controversy.   NCTA has not released a timeline on when they will make a decision on options 'C1' and 'C2' or the mainland toll booths location.

Also, MCB4 will include the construction of a third 'contraflow' hurricane evacuation lane on US 158 from the bridge northwards to NC 168.  There would also be some widening of NC 12 in Corolla where the bridge ends, but the length of the widening will be determined by the ultimate eastern terminus of the bridge.  Finally, a recommendation to convert the NC 12/US 158 intersection in Southern Shores to an interchange (either a SPUI or compressed diamond) was made.  However, funding at this time is not available for that project.

The Turnpike Authority will be hosting public hearings on the DEIS in May.  The schedule for the meetings is as follows:
  • May 18 - Ramada Plaza, Nags Head
  • May 19 - Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, Corolla 
  • May 20 - Currituck Cooperative Extension Center, Barco
Each hearing will begin with an open house starting at 3:30 pm, immediately followed by the public hearing at 7:00 pm.

The new target completion date for the bridge is now late 2014.

Story Links:
Mid-Currituck Bridge Draft Environmental Impact Statement ---North Carolina Turnpike Authority
Statement recommends Currituck bridge option ---Outer Banks Voice
Turnpike Authority Schedules Public Meetings for Bridge Project ---Carova Corner
Labels:

Comments

Da-ud said…
Wouldn't a rotary at the US 158/NC 12 intersection be less environmentally intrusive than an interchange?
9:54 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

By
  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...
Post a Comment
Read more

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more