The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-08-19
'"OREGON INLET" IS DEFINITELY
SCHEDULED FOR BUILDING:
ASSURANCE GIVEN BY BABCOCK
Programmed For Early Letting Among State
Projects. While Surveys and Studies Are Made
and Plans Are Being Mapped; Federal High
Road for Adoption into Federal System.

| AHf~ OASSOAA AAliSO 411luSC 10 OGl-
initely scheduled for construction
and there is nothing in sight to
keep it from becoming a reality,
according to w. F. Babcock, Di-
rector of Highways, who stated
emphatically Tuesday that runlors
started by doubling Thomases and
other spreaders of encouragement
and gloom can be laid at rest.
! Mr.. Babcock was in Dare County
early in the week, in company with
Federal Highway officials, to make
a survey of the Hatteras Island
road with the object of exhibiting
the evidence that this road now
merits including in the Federal
Roards system, whereby the bridge
project would be entitled to its
share of Federal funds.
Two meetings set up for this oc-
casion brought out strong support
from the Dare County Board Of
Commissioners, the U. S. Coast
Guard, the National Park Service,
the u. S. Weather Bureau, The
U. S. Engineer Corp and others.
At noon Monday, a meeting at
Scottie's Restaurant in Hatteras
was attended by County Commits
sioner George Fuller, Ben Williams
of the Hatteras Weather Bureau,
and interested citizens.
Highway officials attending the
meeting were Mr.. Babcock, Rex
S. Anderson, Regional Engineer of
the Bureau of Public Roads, At
lanta; Lowell S. Coy, Division
Engineer for the State Highway
Commission, Ahoskie; L. C. Nc
Duffie, Chief, Engineering Division,
U. S. Engineer Corps, Wilmington,
and several citizens of Hatteras
Island.
Accompanying their husbands on
the trip to the Dare Coast were
Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Babcock, and
Mss. Spruill. The party arrived at
Mays Head Sunday evening and
attended the Lost Colony.
Monday evening the group met
in the Carolinian at Mays Head
and this meeting was attended also
by Mr.. McDuffie, Capt. Fred j.
Schieber, representing the office
of the Commander of the 5th Coast
Guard District of Norfolk; Floyd
Taylor, acting Supt. of the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore; Ross
Sweeney and Edward Nash, engi-
neers from the National Park
Service; Col. II. C. Wolfe of the
N. C. Department of Water Re-
sources; w. F. Fowler also Of this
department; D. v. Meekins and
David Stick of the Board of Com
missioners; M. X. Fearing Jr., of
IManteo.
Mr.. Babcock pointed out several
interesting facts concerning prog
ress in bridge building. Usually
these projects are set up five years
ahead. Normally two and a half
years are required, to complete
construction after contract is let.
There were number of positive
reasons why it would have been
impractical to build the Oregon
Inlet bridge before the Alligator
River. First of all, the Inlet could
not be bridged until the U. S. Engi-
neers had completed their studies
and definitely located the channel
for accommodation of vessels,
which the Federal Government ex-
poets to maintain. The kind Of
bridge built will depend on the
final approval from the engineers
when the size of clearance in the
chaanel has been determined.
Some delay has been caused due
to the long effort to get approval
of the route from Whalebone to
Hatteras Inlet, which up to now
has never been considered eligible
for participation in Federal grants
in aid for secondary roads. This
makes big item, when one con-
siders Federal aid may be half the
cost of four million dollar bridge.
But most important for Alliga-
tor River was, that having none of
these hurdles to overcome, and hav-
ing the benefit of surveys and es6-
mates that had been made in 1866.
there was no need to hold back on
the project, just because Oregon
Inlet could not go ahead, and for
this reason, the Commission was
able to get moving on Alligator
River bridge some four or five
months after it had been approved
by the Highway Commission.
The Commission is equally anxi-
Gus along with the citizens to get
Oregon Inlet bridged. It is desired
to save the tremendous expense Of
operating ferries which grow rapid
ly less adequate under the force
- ala ks.ern sw~,an~en - 49, &Fty~