The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-10-10
ADVOCATE OF COASTAL
HIGHWAY SEES SURE
WAY TO GET INDUSTRY

To the Editor:
Is North Carolina doing all that
it can to develop its third largest
Industry, THE TRAVEL INDUS
TRY? True, our State Advertising
Division is doing a wonderful job,
but we are not keeping up with the
demand that is being created, by
the hundreds of thousands of
Tourists attracted through our
States Advertising.
For many years we in North Car
DINA have watched, with envy, the
fabulous development of the Tour
list Industry in other States along
the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. We
have helped in their development
by spending millions on super
highways, to SPEED traffic
THROUGH our State to other
Coastal Resort Areas. Our high
ways are even advertising the
shortest or fastest routes to these
resorts.
With our beaches, sounds, bays,
and coastal rivers, we actually
have more miles Of shoreline than
ANY STATE in the UNION. For
example: Carteret County has 615
miles of tidal shoreline, and that is
just one County. Yet every section
of our Coast is on a dead-end.
Over 100000 tourists visit the
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Park Area annually, turn around
and retYace their steps-another
100000 visit historic Fort Macon
and find that they must detour
three hundred (300) miles to get to
the National Seashore Park which
is but twenty coy miles from
Carteret County.
The last missing link to year.
around through, North-South, traf-
fic is twenty COY mile car ferry
from Ocracoke to Cedar Island.
What would this Ferry mean to
you and to the State of North Car
Dina?
1t would complete a three hun
bred 5000 mile, all Coastal High
way, giving our State a travel adj
vertising advantage unmatchable
by any State or Nation in North or
South America.
1t would make available to the
densely populated areas of the
North and Midwest a year-around
play ground within much shorter
distance than similar resorts on the
South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
1t would attract millions of dol
lars in much needed investment
capital.
1t would greatly raise the per
capital Income of the entire Coas-
tai Area.
1t would produce ample sales and
gas tax revenue to quickly amor
tie the States investment in Fer
ries, docks and ferry operation.
1t would soon return to the
State enough revenue to be used
in Statewide tax reductions.
OTHER STATES did invest in
Coastal Development, and we all
know that their financial returns
have been far in excess of all ex-
pectations.
We have spent millions to make
our Mountains accessible. We all
know what that has meant to the
Mountain economy and the entire
State.
We have opened up sections of
our Coast with bridges and ferries.
1t has paid, in vastly increased
traffic, and increased revenue to
the areas.
Thirty-six of our forty-nine
States are advertising their noun
tains. That is a lot of competition.
Only twenty-one (21) States
have any ocean frontage.
No State has Coastal Resources
comparable to North Carolina. Let
us not be the last to take full adj
vantage of these resources.
Many highways, causeways,
bridges and ferries will be needed
to fully develop our potential BUT
until through North-South traf-
fic is made possible other bridges
and ferries, will be of little or no
avail-You can not attract nation
wide traffic to ANY DEAD-END.
Which means the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore Park must be
connected to the south, by ferry