The Wilmington morning star., 1946-11-23
LETTER BOY
A BRIDGE

~ SN31tlOAPTS1A
subject of establishing a 'trnct'
route through Wilmington;
The writer recently made , vi.
over route JUS. 3o1;" wbi.p
crosses the Potomac on a nsn
bridge some forty or fiftv mila'
below Washington, D. c. Tbis
bridge, passing over that stre.as
with a clearance of 1856 feet sua
gested the thought that a sims,
bridge over the Cape Fear rive.
in the neighborhood of the sbi.
yard, would solve the problem =,
arranging for truck traffic "a tb..
it would not longest dowa'
town area, nor meet with Al.
lection from the various rssi.
Dental streets which trucks ron
must use in reaching the oil termi.
nails and the industrial t~erritor.
now building in the n~eighborhooi
of 18th and Dawson streets.
The objection to a bridge ov.,
the Cape Fear in the harbor 10Y,
ritory has been that the War d.,
partment would not agree to
bridge (draw-bridge) being cor.
structed which might Interfere
with shipping. With a clearance q,
1876 feet such objection Should hs
overcome, since such a clearance
appears to satisfy the War depart.
ment; as witness the bridge abov.
referred to as well as the bridges
over the Cooper river at Charles.
ton, S. c., which I understand
have a similar clearance. There !,
ample room on the west side nj
the Cape Fear for the necessary
approach, while on the east sids
the approach could be Carried
over the shipyard and brought ia
ground at such point as to termi.
nate in the boulevard leading ia
the new highway running from the
Carolina Beach road to Winter
Park.
Were such a bridge CONSTRUCTED
all truck traffic, going to the oil
terminals or other industries, as
now planned, would neither pass
through downtown Wilmington.
nor use Third, nor any other resi-.
dental street in reaching its desti.
nation.
l. Trucks from the south or west
charleston Or CHARLOTTE would
get to the oil terminals without
%congesting the downtown area Or
the use Of residential streets.
2. Similarly trucks from the
north (Goldsboro or Clinton CON.
ing into Wilmington over U. S, III
by crossing the Cape Fear on the
present bridges and then recross.
ing on the proposed new bridge
would not come into the downtown
area at all.
8. Trucks from New Bern, using
U. S. II would leave Market street
outside of the city limits, 60
through Winter Park over the new
highway to the shipyard and oil
terminals; thus eliminating from
downtown Wilmington a | ! hazard
and congestion as well as the use
of city streets in residential ter
ritory.
Also note that all traffic from
the south or west going to the
beaches, both Carolin and
Wrightsville, would be enabled to
avoid adding to the congestion Of
a growing downtown area, by
crossing the new bridge direct TO
either the Carolina Beach high
way, or the Wrightsville Beach
highway at Winter Park. This ad'
vantage namely the by-passing Of
downtown areas by through trat
fie) is one which highway author
ties, generally, are trying to OBJ
tain in order to eliminate down
town congestion and to speed
through traffic.
Doubtless the cost OF such
bridge would be high, but since
funds were obtainable for con
structing the really magnificent
bridge over the Potomac, referred
to above (where present traffic in
my observation seemed sparse) II
should be possible enclose pro&l
nifty to a growing city of $4,000
people with its heavy oil and tour
list traffic.. with the cooperation Oh
state federal; city and county au'
thorities. to finance a bridge over
the Cape Fear river near the snip,
yard; since such a bridge would
solve the "truck-lane' problem
for all time, and would provide a
route for much through trafllc'
which now per force congestS Inc
downtown streets.
LOWELL WHITE
Wilmington. N. C..