The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-02-11
CURRITUCK BRIDGE IS
HAVING HARD SHEDDING
County and Neighborhood Jealousies, Oppos.
ing General Progress, Delay Action Look
ing Toward Bridging Sound

Local jealousies and the in
ability of various communit-
les to embrace a vision Of
other. than purely advancement
threatens to blast the hopes
of those who are eager to see
quick action in the matter OF
bridging Currituck Sound and
tying the North Carolina Coast
with the mainland.
The New Jersey real estate men
who are undertaking the develop
inent Of the North Carolina coast
see great possibilities in their plans
because here, within Il nights
Journey of the country's great
centers of population, is the only
undeveloped region Oh the Atlantic
Coast that offers every appeal TO
lovers of outdoor recreations all
months I'm the year.
But the great drawback to the
development Is the lack OF COM
munication between this delightful
strip Of coast and the mainland.
There can be no great boom along
the coast until the pleasure seek
ers and prospective investor can
reach the coast by motor. And the
way to the coast by motor is to he
made possible only by the bridg;
ing Of the shallow waters Of Cur
rituck Sound.
Bridging this sound is not a diff
ficult feat Engineers insist that
"a bridge can be built for approx
mately 100000. 1t has been sug-
gcsted that the counties of Curri-
tuck and Dare build the bridge
jointly, each sharing the cost equal:
ly. And right here begins the con-
flict of local self interests. ROa-
nokc Island, the center of wealth
and influence in Dare County does
not look any too favorably upon q :
coastal, l,deyelopmeBt.- Many Roanok6'-
Islanders think that any develop
ment in Dare should be 6h Roanoke
Island and they are not inclined to
encourage any enterprise that
would boom real estate values OIL
the coast. So there is division OF
interest i'm the bridge project in
Dare.
On the Currituck mainland one
finds another division. There are
those in Currituck who bitterly op-
pose being taxed 10 build a bridge
that would be Of an immediate and
direct lenefit to Dare ,j'County.
They can't sec that d bridge that
would build up resort colonies on
the coast in Dare would provide a
ma rket for the farm and dairy pro.
ducts of Currituck. Neither can
they see that all The prosperity
that would flow Ia Dare would
necessarily flow thru Currituck and
make better business and better
land values for Currituck.
A bridge to he built jointly by
Curriiuck and Dare would have to
be built from Point Harbor. the end
of The Currituck peninsula. There
are those in Currituck who insist
that if Currituck is going to help
bridge Currituck Sound it should
bridge it. near poplar Branch or
some other point that would throw
the bridge entirely within Curri-
tuck County so that the Currituck
coast would bc the principal bene.
ficiary But if the bridge were so
built Curritnck would have to biuld
the bridge by itself and the taxpay-
crs are not ready for that. And so
il goes.
The bridging Of Currituck Sound
will eventually be realized Pri-
vuic capital is interested and pri-
vatc capital will bnild bridge to
their properties if the counties
don't. But the building of such a
bridge by private capital would be
calamity which would ultimately
have to be corrected by public
acquisition Of the bridge.
Hope of inducing the counties to
bridge Currituck Sound this year
has already been abandoned. In
fact all that the promoters are now
asking for is that the counties
authorize their representatives in
the General Assembly to pass az
enabling act under which such a
bridge can be built by the two coun-
ties at some future date when the
fax payers can be convinced Of the
dpsirability and economy Of such
bridge. That is wise and fair
proposition. Things are moving too
fast for the imagination Of most Ct
the folks in Currituck and Dare and
they need time to think 1t all over
and get tho hearings.