The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-05-13
HOW THE PRESENT
HIGHWAY SET-UP
BRINGS BENEFITS
Chairman Brouehton Of Highway
Commission Says It Made
Bridges Possible

In a letter his week to the Edi-
tor of The Times, Chairmen Mel
Broughton of the State Highway
Commission has favorable comment
on a recent editorial we carried
concerning benefits given the coast
al area during the present admini-
stration.
Mr.. Broughton brings out the
point that only under this sort of
plan was it possible to get an al
location of both bridges over Alli-
gator River and Oregon Inlet COM
mitted at one time. Mr.. Broughton's
letter follows:
1--WE appreciate very much your
splendid editorial concerning the
present Highway Commission and
! it is gratifying to know that our eff
forts have been appreciated by
some. Governor Hodges was like
wise most appreciative and has sad
so more than once.
at seems to me that what some
of the critics of the present state
wide approach to highway planning
are overlooking is the fact that;
under the old system projects such
as the Alligator River Bridge and
the Oregon Inlet Bridge would not
have been possible except through
an ALLEGATION from the Governor
surplus such as was the case with
the Upstead Bridge. The reason for
this is that no one division would
have had available for construction
such a large amount of money and
of course, you had continuous
scrappings between divisions for
every penny. Under the present sys-
tenn, funds are not allocated to any
one division but are set up for the
State as a whole with the Com
mission then deciding how the
money can best be spent. Thus you
have members of the Commission
from as far west as Asheville and
Concord joining in the vote to con-
struct the two major bridge prof.
ects which are, of course, not di-
rectly related to their areas but,
which they considered meritorious
from the standpoint of the state
as a whole.
GAS. YOU we'll know, the question
of the Governors surplus is an I'M
certain situation at best in that
the law provides for such surplus
when and only when revenues eN-
C iced legislative appropriations
based on estimates. For example,
there has been a period during the
present administration when Gov
ernor Hodges had no funds what
soever. So it seems to me that III
the current political pickering over
the Highway Program, our citizens
should give careful thought to the
matters set out herein. AS pointed
out, under the old system, a men,
Der of the Commission who was
from Asheville was only concerned
with getting all available funds
for his immediate area and this, as
l say, made it virtually impossible
for any one division to have ever
had enough money for a major pro-
iect to be undertaken. l daresay
that under the old system it would
not have been possible to have
authorized the construction of the
badly needed projects which mean
so much to your area and to all of
North Carolina.
81 have many times said that an
increase in the number of Com
missioners would be perfectly all
right so long as you do not change
the system itself. l am firmly con-
WINGED that it would be long step
backward for North Carolina to
return to a system where, in eff
feet, you had Ia separate High
way Commissions, each having no
relationship to the other and thus
regarding the orderly development
of a sound highway program for
the best interest of an entire state.
81 hope this finds you and your
folks well and that we will see you
soon. / have been trying to get
down that way but have been aw-
fully busy here. want very much
to try out the Sea Level Ferry and
then spend a day or two on the
Outer Banks very shortly. l will
let you know when l come down"
Sincerely yours,