THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 27, 1995 TAG: 9507270376
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER CHRISTMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Move over, heat. Outer Banks tourists and local residents have another complaint - the summer traffic.
``I've never seen it so bad, and I've lived here since 1979,'' said Alton V. Jones of Nags Head. ``I don't know what's causing it - probably we just have a lot more people coming than we used to.''
While the opening of the second span of the Wright Memorial Bridge has alleviated backups that formerly lined the bypass, patches of congestion continue to clog the roadway.
One reason for continued traffic problems is simply an increase in the number of motorists.
Don Conner, a division engineer for the Department of Transportation, recently spent an afternoon tracking traffic on the Wright Memorial Bridge. His research showed more than a 12 percent increase since last year alone.
Conner and R.V. Owens III, board member for the state Department of Transportation, discussed the increase and other traffic concerns at the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce directors' meeting Wednesday.
``In the state of North Carolina, it's normal to see a 2 percent increase in traffic,'' Owens said. ``In Dare County in the last five years, traffic increased 5 percent a year. But what we're seeing now is a whole different animal.
``You can see the future problem we are facing - we're just going to have gridlock.''
Many Outer Banks residents and visitors contend that the gridlock is already here.
``I can't drive even one mile without having to slam on my brakes at any given moment,'' said Adell Pierce of Kill Devil Hills. ``There are so many people - it's annoying.''
One reason for the increase, the chamber was told, could stem from the opening of the second span of the Wright Memorial Bridge. Since the once bumper-to-bumper traffic is less congested, locals who once steered clear of the bridge on weekends are using it.
Gerry Henderson, a Southern Shores resident for three years, said this is the first year he has ventured onto the bridge during the weekend to visit relatives in Chesapeake.
``Before if I were going, I would leave late Friday night and rush back Monday morning before work,'' Henderson said Wednesday from his home. ``The traffic was just terrible - there was no way you'd want to be anywhere near it.
``Now, it's just fine.''
But while the bridge has helped ease the traffic crunch, congested patches still exist on the Outer Banks. Long traffic jams at the end of the Wright bridge or around the Kill Devil Hills Post Office are not uncommon.
Mike Wiechec, a Kill Devil Hills resident for seven years, said he has noticed a marked increase in traffic.
``It's like Fourth of July traffic all the time now,'' he said. ``You'll go blocks out of the way just to avoid a left-hand turn.''
Owens said now that the bridge is complete, he wants to focus Department of Transportation attention on the U.S 158 bypass.
``Quite frankly, the biggest problem we've got going now on the Outer Banks is the bypass,'' Owens said. ``And I don't know what to do.''
Last year, the busiest zone on the bypass - in front of the Kill Devil Hills Post Office - was used by an average of 41,000 motorists daily. While this year's numbers are not available, Conner said he expects the figures will be higher.
Owens said the DOT is conducting feasibility studies of remedies for the bypass, including widening the road to six and seven lanes between Southern Shores and Whalebone Junction.
``I've seen the beach change as much as anyone has - some for the good and some for the bad,'' Owens says. ``People always think the road guy just wants to drop asphalt everywhere. That ain't the answer.
``Building roads is a necessary evil - I don't want the Outer Banks to look like Myrtle Beach or Ocean City. But you have to deal with the problems that are dealt to you.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
PAUL AIKEN/Staff
Southbound traffic backs up on U.S. Route 158 at the intersection of
Ocean Acres in Kill Devil Hills. While the opening of the second
span of the Wright Memorial Bridge has alleviated backups that
formerly lined the bypass, patches of congestion clog the roadway.
by CNB