THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 5, 1995 TAG: 9508050312
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
Dozens of vacationers got rolling this week as the Outer Banks' second public bicycle path opened in south Nags Head.
On Friday afternoon, cyclists, in-line skaters, skateboarders, joggers and beach-goers were sharing the off-road concrete strip that runs along the east side of N.C. Route 1243.
The 8-foot-wide path begins at Whalebone Junction and continues five miles south to the National Park Service facilities, where state Route 1243 dead-ends. The path is separated from the road by about 4 feet of sand and grass. It is available for all types of recreational activities - including walking.
``I think it's just great. We always bring our bikes here on vacation. But I've been reluctant to ride them before because there is so much truck traffic out here on the road,'' said Williamsburg resident Jan Sarmiere, 52, who owns a home in south Nags Head and is vacationing here with 10 family members this month.
``We've been using it to walk to the beach during the day. My niece decided to bring down her Rollerblades this weekend when we told her about the new path. And my 24-year-old son says it's a great place to meet good-looking women.
``Someone in our family has used it at least every other day since we've been here,'' Sarmiere said. ``It's a real asset to this area.''
Funded with a combination of tourism, town, state and federal funds, the ``off-road multi-use facility'' was sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The bike path cost $565,756, including engineering and consulting fees. Construction costs totaled about $491,962.
Financial allocations were as follows:
Dare County Tourism Board tax revenues, $32,500
Town of Nags Head, $32,500
State Department of Transportation, $100,151
Federal funds from Inter-Surface Transportation Act, $400,605
``About a year ago, the mayor of Nags Head came to me asking how to go about getting a bike path for her town. I went to the highway administrator to find funds for the project. And he helped secure the money we needed,'' said R.V. Owens III, who sits on the state's transportation board. ``Originally, we wanted the town to split costs 50-50 with the state. But when we found these other federal funds available, that really sped things up.''
Construction on the new path began around Memorial Day. The project was completed Aug. 1. Town officials hope to dedicate their new walkway in early September.
``This new path will provide two benefits to our residents and visitors: It will get pedestrian and bike traffic off of the road, which will improve safety. And it will provide a great recreational opportunity for everyone,'' Nags Head Commissioner Bob Muller said. ``Already, it's been getting a lot of use.''
Although some south Nags Head property owners complained about the new path encroaching on their property, Owens said the state did not have to acquire any additional land before building the bike path because all of it already was owned by the highway department.
The south Nags Head path is the second such public facility in Dare County - but there are several differences between the two projects.
In May 1994, a $1 million asphalt bike path opened along six miles of U.S. Route 64 on Roanoke Island. North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, helped find special funding for the Manteo project from state highway construction funds that financed the entire project. The state highway department maintains the Manteo path.
The south Nags Head facility will be maintained by town tax revenues. It was built with funds from a combination of sources, with the state contributing about 18 percent of the total cost. Both paths cost more than $100,000 per mile, with Manteo's being the state's most expensive path, at a cost of $166,666 per mile. Transportation officials said bike paths cost an average of $150,000 per mile to build. Most two-lane highways with shoulders run about $1 million per mile.
North Carolina earmarks about $2.4 billion annually for transportation needs. The state designates about $2 million each year for bicycle paths.
More than $96 million worth of bicycles are sold in North Carolina each year, Owens said.
``I get more positive feedback from bike path projects than I ever do from any road or bridge work,'' said Owens. ``These facilities provide opportunities for healthy, outdoor, family activities. They're something we need to do a lot more of across the state.''
Transportation officials are considering constructing similar facilities in other areas of the Outer Banks and in other counties, Owens said. Duck residents are paying a special 1-cent tax to fund future sidewalks or a bike path for their northern barrier-island community. Hatteras business owners are raising funds to build a path along their southern island. About $1 million in county and federal funds has been set aside to add 4-foot-wide shoulders on both sides of N.C. Route 12 between the Hatteras Island villages.
Currituck County officials are considering building a bike path from the Dare County line on the Outer Banks north to the end of N.C. Route 12 in Corolla.
And highway workers recently completed a $300,000 bike path in Emerald Isle and a $400,000 path in Chapel Hill.
``It's pretty boring just sitting on the beach all day. This gives me something else to do down here. It's great,'' said Holland, Pa., resident Sean Ufolla, 13, who was skateboarding on the new Nags Head path Friday afternoon during a family vacation.
``I probably wouldn't be out here today if it weren't for this path,'' Sean said, skating over cracks in the concrete path as dozens of cars whisked by on the highway. ``My dad wouldn't let me skateboard on the road. He said it was OK as long as I stayed on the bike path.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Vicki Cronis, Staff
Catherine Kash of Raleigh takes advantage of the new bike path south
of Whalebone Junction on Friday.
by CNB