The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-06-10
If THE RIVER IS BRIDGED
NOW, ROADS MUST WAIT
State Highway Commission Not Inclined To
Build Big Bridge and All Roads All
At the Same Time. ~

The State Highway Commiss
sion is not inclined to bridge the
Pasquotank river at Elizabeth
City at an early date unless Pas
quotank county will consent to.
other road building operations
in this county being indefinitely
postponed. This newspaper getsH
this information from near of
fetal source this week. Commis4
sioner VIM. S. Hart of the Firsl
N. c. State Highway District, I'LL
expected in Elizabeth City nexl6
week to confer with the Pasquo8
tank Highway Commission and
look into the bridge question fol-
himself. Such seems to be tht
outcome of the petition of thdI
Camden County Highway ComNI
mission for free bridge all
Elizabeth City.
included a bridge across Pasquotank rivH
er at Elizabeth City in the plans of thtf
state highway system. Such a bridgfi
will eventually be provided, either bill
purchase of the existing privately owneii
bridge property Or the construction of \;
new bridge and approaches at some 9th
er point on the river to be selected b8
state engineers. But the State HighI
way Commission has more than GOOD
miles of roads to build and only $5O.sE
100000 appropriated for this stupendouI
project.
Only $1O,OOO,OOO can be expended iIi
the next two years and every county iII
the state is clamoring for share Oil
that. Pasquotank was among the luck5H
counties that got what it asked for iI
the first allotment of funds.
But before the state can spend eve1H
$1OyOOO,OOO it must sell just so mans
road bonds and there isn't much of XII
market for bonds at the present timeE
Where roads are being built by thtRl
State Highway Commission at the presSi
ent time, the money is being advancesi
by the counties in which the money iSI
spent, the State Highway Commission
to reimburse these counties when itsBj
bonds are sold. That is the way lthtB
brick road from Elizabeth City to thfi
upper section of Pasquotank county iji
now being built.
With the completion of the road now
under construction, the State Highway
Commission will build a hard surfaced
road from Elizabeth City to Woodvill(s
at the Perquimans county line But iEIE
seems to be the opinion of the State
Highway Commission that if PasquotanIa
river must be bridged at once, construct
ton of the road to Woodville should
wait until more of the states issue OH
$50, 100000 road bonds have been sold. I
w. L. Cohoon, an Elizabeth City mar
who occupies the position of attorney ttit
the State Highway Commission, seemi3
to favor delay in the constructor of tho
Woodville Road to get the Pasquotanl
bridge at once. He believes a frete
bridge connecting Pasquotank with thu
counties of Camden and Currituck i.I
of more Importance right at this timfE
than a hard surface road to Woodvilld
inasmuch as the state highway commisI
sion will see to the maintenance of thl
present dirt road until a hard surfacI
road is built. Ib
Mr.. Cohoon is more interested in thl4
bridge because it is his hobby now Till;
see a new shortline hard surface roaIH
built from Elizabeth City to the verI#
lower end of Currituck county. Hi|ll
scheme contemplates the cutting of al
airline road from point somewhere
near Camden or Belcross in CamdeI
county to a point near Barco in Curri
tuck county. Such a short cut woul
shorten the distance between Elizabetg
City and the most. populous section dill
Currituck county 12 or II miles. Th B
fact that such new road would hay
to cross what is known as the Grea
Swamp near Shawboro doesn't daupI.
this road enthusiast. i#l