THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 19, 1995 TAG: 9508190174
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER CHRISTMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
The traffic jam created on U.S. Route 64 during the exodus of the Outer Banks, when Hurricane Felix was threatening, has brought back into the spotlight plans to improve the passage.
Senate leader Marc Basnight, D-Manteo, reported that, during a meeting Friday morning, Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. said he supports the quickened construction of a four-lane bridge from Roanoke Island to Manns Harbor and the widening of U.S. 64 to four lanes from Manteo to Plymouth.
``The governor has directed the Department of Transportation to present him with a plan that will build those projects as quickly as humanly possible,'' Basnight said Friday. ``He will see that funds are made available to do it.''
The governor is expected to formally announce details on the projects in the near future.
The projects have long been considered necessary. Basnight estimated that the combined projects will cost about $100 million.
Even with a stepped-up program, completion of the projects would take three to four years.
Basnight is a long-time proponent of the four-lane bridge and widening of U.S. Route 64.
``I've told anyone who would listen that unless you take these measures, you'll never get the people out during a storm,'' Basnight said.
Basnight said that the long streams of cars inching along for hours on the two-lane highway during the evacuation of the Outer Banks in front of Hurricane Felix only highlighted the urgency of the projects.
``You couldn't have done any better with what we had,'' Basnight said. ``But this situation will only get worse as more and more people come to the beach. It won't get better.
``We are going to make these projects a top priority.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color map
KEYWORDS: EVACUATION ROUTE ROAD CONSTRUCTION by CNB