The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-10-21
WOMBLE REPORTS
BRIGHTER PROSPECT
FOR BEACH ROAD
Ocean Boulevard From Virginia
Beach to Mays Head Believed
Probable Soon

Mays Head link of the long-sought
Seashore Highway appear bright
er now than in years, the All Sea-
shore Highway Association of
North Carolina was told Wednes-
day at its meeting at Mays Head,
according to Bill Womble, report
ing in the News and Observer.
Virginia promoters and highway
officials of the state recently have
shown revived interest in the prof.
ect, in view of the Chesapeake Bay
bridge-tunnel construction now I'M
derway and which will be COM
pleted in 1868.
A report on Virginia's position
was made by Maj. J. L. Murphy
of Kill Devil Hills, vice president
of the N. C. Association for this
Northeastern Division. He said
Virginia Beach and Norfolk pre-
n,oters have come to realize the
potential advantage to their area
Of the seashore route and are lin
ing up support of Virginia coun-
ties involved and the Virginia
Highway Department.
The plan calls for a seashore
route of about 20 miles along unde-
veloped beach from Virginia Beach
southwark, and some IS miles along
the North Carolina shore to con-
meet with the Mays Head area.
Merrill Evans of Ahoskie, a for
mer N. C. Highway Commissioner
and mentioned recently as pos
sible appointee again under the
new administration next year, at
tended the meeting here and ex-
pressed himself strongly in favor of
the road.
Evans, a native of Currituck and
long a promoter of this coastal
region, said, T'm confident this
road will be built in the not TOP
distant future, for the reason that
it must be built"
Pointing to the Chesapeake prof
Get, Evans said this will result in
an enormous flow of traffic to the
seashore region of this State, and
declared it is essential that the
State take advantage of it.
Opening of such a road, he said,
would convert the entire section
from Mays Head to Ocracoke into
a year-round one instead of the
present seasonal one.
Melvin Daniels of Wanchese
quoted National Park Service fig
ures which indicated the Dare
beaches could expect a million Wis
itors annually if such a seashore
route were built.
The association meeting, pre-
sided over by President Norwood
Young of Beaufort, also voted to
push for resumption of ferry sa,v-
ice from Ocracoke to the main
land, a service suspended when
channels used by the Sea Level
Ocracoke ferry were closed by
Hurricane Donna. Both Young and
Secretary Joe Dubois said the de-
mand for this link in the Seashore
Highway project last summer was
tremendous, and suggested that if
the route were changed to Cedar
IslaEo instead of to Atlantic, it
would be feasible for the State to
take it over and resume runs in the
spring.
Young said it might be neces-
sary for the State to use a differ
ent type ferry, possibly an LIST
craft of shallow draft.
Continued support of the plan
to link Fort Fisher and Southport
with a ferry was voiced by the as
ISOLATION. Glenn Tucker of Caro-
lima Beach was present to plug
for this project.
Reports on beach erosion work
were heard both from Col Harry
Brown, Director of the State Wa
ter Resources Department, and
Robert L. Gibbs, Superintendent OF
The Cape Hatteras National Sea-
shore Park.
The Association passed a reso-
tuition urging immediate federal
and state assistance on this work,
as we'll as inlet sterilization prof.
ects. Col Brown told of state ero-
sion work already underway on a
limited scale near Drum Inlet.
Considerable discussion was
heard on the need for improving
u. S. Highway II, known as the
ocean route. If this main present
artery is not improved, traffic
which would funnel from it to the
seashore will soon be lost, the as
ISOLATION was told.
Col. Browns Department was
praised highly by Mr.. Tucker.