THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606230096
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 83 lines
Driving through Moyock, just south of the Virginia border, Ernie Bowden began to count the number of curb cuts along N.C. 168 - probably the most popular route for Outer Banks-bound tourists.
Within three-fourths of a mile, the county commissioner from Carova Beach had sighted 42 road openings - and that was just on one side of the highway.
``I don't know how we can expect our major roads to support that kind of traffic,'' Bowden said at last week's board of commissioners meeting in Currituck.
County officials do not know either, which is why commissioners decided last week to limit the number of driveways along three major roads.
The measure is aimed at reducing congestion and the risks of traffic accidents along heavily traveled roads and collector streets.
``The county tried to find a balance that would make safety a priority but at the same time provide adequate access to properties,'' said Jack Simoneau, the county's planning and inspections director.
``Those two things are often in conflict,'' he added.
Discussions on the ordinance began in March and have included two public hearings.
The new regulation, which does not affect current commerical and residential owners, also could have a significant impact on economic development.
A majority of Currituck County citizens said in a survey several years ago that commercial development could improve if traffic did, too.
``They basically said, `Make it safe, and we'll go out and shop,' '' said Simoneau.
The regulation will directly impact those who build homes or businesses in the county on N.C. 168, U.S. 158 and Tulls Creek Road.
Speed limits vary along the three roads, ranging from 25 mph on a section of Tulls Creek to 55 mph on all of them.
Homeowners in new subdivisions with six or more lots must have driveways connected by a service road, to be built by the developer. This will reduce the number of outlets onto busy streets.
Existing homeowners or business owners will be encouraged to share driveways through incentives, such as exemptions for side-yard setbacks and landscaped buffers for commercial properties.
The ordinance will only affect residences and businesses along three major roads, though it originally included several more.
The county's Highway Corridor Plan had also included N.C. 615, N.C. 3 and N.C. 34, as well as South Mills, Backwoods, Indian Town, Maple, Narrow Shore, Aydlett, Poplar Branch and Waterlily roads.
But Commissioner Paul O'Neal, who lives in Waterlily, asked only that the county's two most heavily traveled roads, as well as a popular local bypass, be included.
``These other roads are never going to be heavily traveled,'' O'Neal said before a 4-1 vote was taken.
Gene Gregory of Shawboro cast the dissenting vote. I think anyone who's fortunate enough to get a lot on that main highway ought to have a driveway,'' he said.
Gregory questioned the safety improvements to be gained from restricting the number of driveways along these streets.
The commissioner pointed to southern Chesapeake's two-laned Battlefield Boulevard, which he travels daily to his job at the Ford truck plant in Norfolk.
``I've been traveling that road for 33 years, and I don't think I ever saw an accident in a driveway - and there's not a highway no busier on the face of the earth.''
But other commissioners said creating an ordinance now may prevent accidents in the future.
``It's to keep a bad situation from getting worse,'' said Owen Etheridge, who lives in Shawboro and represents the county at-large.
N.C. 168 and U.S. 158 are conduits for beach traffic and are among the most heavily traveled in the region.
``People traveling on it have only one thing on their mind: getting to the Outer Banks,'' Etheridge said.
``Especially with the people coming from the north; they have that belief that it's an interstate. But it's not - even though it'll all be five lanes eventually, they're rural roads that people live on.''
Tulls Creek Road, though not a major artery, was selected because of the high traffic volume and potential for more development.
A huge increase in driveways, particularly along the 35-mph stretches of road, could create a clogged street ``which is not safe, nor is it desirable,'' Simoneau said. by CNB