The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-11-13
INTEREST GROWS
FOR LONG SCENIC
OCEAN HIGHWAY
Twenty-Five Year Old Prof
ect Spark-PIugged Now at
Morehead City Gains
HeadWay

| y
from Mays Head, via Hatteras
and Ocracoke to Morehead City,
and it is being energized by the
dynamic personality of Joe Du-
Bots, Manager of the Morehead
City Chamber of Commerce, and
is widely supported in influential
circles.
What our folks don't often stop
to think about is that all great
things come slowly. What we
often readily enjoy and accept as
a matter of course may be the
fruit of long struggle. Take this
project, for instance. 1t began 25
years ago, the idea of w. O..
Saunders of Elizabeth City, in
the columns of his Independent
weekly. He also, some five years
earlier had envisioned a great
seashore park covering the en-
tire N. c. coast.
Since Mr.. Saunders first ad-
vocated the Seashore Highway,
there have been many changes.
The Carteret County ocean front
has never recovered from the
storms of 1888 and inlets remain
a barrier yet in this area, so now
it is proposed to skip a large area
by operation of a ferry between
Ocracoke and Atlantic.
Had the project gotten under
way more than 20 years ago, we
would have seen it all surfaced
more than ten years ago, accord
ing to plans. But history changed
things. Here is what happened:
Through the operation of the
froader Hatteras Seashore pro-
! ject, the beaches were being con-
ditioned through the labor of the
WPA camps so that roadbuild-
ing would have been more feas-
ible. This work went on several
years under the sponsorship of
the National Park Service, then
attempting to develop the Sea-
shore Park The road might have
been built by now, but
In the late thirties, our country
began to anticipate defense
needs. Factories began to perk
up, and labor was in demand.
There was a job for anyone who
would work. This war prosperity
not only made work, but it also
put restrictions on materials es-
sential to the. building of roads
and bridges. And then came the
war. 1t is all mighty interesting.
Like many another beautiful pro-
iect, the war submerged it for the
time being. But good ideas sell
dom stay down.
We are quoting here, from the
files of the Independent of 1881,
through the courtesy of Aycock
Brown, a story which appeared
in that paper concerning the road
then proposed:
Three years ago or whereabouts
THE INDEPENDENT electrified
the Virginia-Carolina coast by
proposing a great Federal scenic,
recreational and military high
way from Virginia Beach to
Beaufort Inlet, to be constructed
by the Federal Government. 1t
was only an editors idea, but that
idea is beginning to materialize.
Congressman Menalous Lark
ford of Norfolk picked up the
idea when he went to Congress
two years ago and has tried to
get Congress to act. Congress
wouldn't listen, but now comes
Congressman Lindsey Warren of
the First North Carolina District
with workable plan. Congress
man Warren has requested the
State Highway Commission of
North Carolina and Virginia to
petition the Bureau of roads for
Federal Aid highway along the
beach from Virginia Beach to
Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina,
distance of 1913 miles.
Mr.. Warren who is member
of the Committee on Roads of the
House of Representatives, said
that no legislation was necessary,
and that if the two state COM
missions would cooperate, he was
confident he could get the road
into the federal aid program and
system. All Of the road would be
in North Carolina except % miles
from Virginia Beach to the State
Line.
Mr.. Warren pointed out that
Representative Landlord, of Vir-
GINA, has bill pending in Con-
gress for a road to be constructed
by the government from Virginia
Beach to Kill Devil Hill, but said
that no action would ever be
taken, the federal government
did not build roads except within
federal property, but merely as
sisted and cooperated with the
states on a fifty-fifty basis.
If the proposed highway was
placed into the federal aid sys-
tenn it would mean that from
fiyna 10 time oarfo iy,- links of ~