THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 29, 1996 TAG: 9608290447
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: 63 lines
Residents of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County apparently don't mind being bypassed.
A public hearing Tuesday night generated little criticism of the $52.8 million highway that will divert high-speed traffic away from the Albemarle area's largest city.
The 11.8-mile stretch of four-lane road will extend from south of Hertford to the U.S. 17-U.S. 158 intersection at Morgan's Corner.
The road will run through mostly farmland, forcing only four homes to relocate. No businesses would be moved.
Preparations are scheduled to begin next month, with construction starting in May of 1998.
``It may be a little ambitious, but that's what we're intending to do,'' said Len Hendricks, the North Carolina Department of Transportation public hearing officer who moderated Tuesday's meeting.
The new road, part of a two-phase construction project, is required under a 1989 mandate that declared U.S. 17 part of an intrastate highway system.
Motorists on U.S. 17 now must slow down and drive through a series of traffic lights once they approach Elizabeth City limits.
``The primary purpose is to separate through traffic from road traffic,'' Hendricks explained during a 30-minute introduction.
``Right now, it's very crowded and congested in the downtown area, especially during peak hours,'' he continued.
While some hailed the plan for its minimal environmental impact, others expressed concerns about the economic implications.
As the plan stands, the bypass will open in 2001 with no direct exits into Elizabeth City. Interchanges will be developed by extending Halstead Boulevard and Main Street Extended two years later.
``The economic hub of this area is Elizabeth City, and you're putting us pretty far off the map,'' said Levin Culpepper, 74, a former Elizabeth City mayor and retired postmaster.
State Rep. W.C. ``Bill'' Owens, who lives in Pasquotank County, responded that legislative efforts were being made to simultaneously build the Halstead interchange and bypass.
Emily J. White of Elizabeth City warned that swifter traffic would reduce travel time to Hampton Roads and encourage more commuting.
Before long, Elizabeth City would look like rapidly growing Chesapeake, Va., she said, because of the commercial and residential development that is bound to build up along the new highway.
``They're coming. Get ready,'' White said, prompting chuckles from many of the 150 residents and highway officials who filled most of the seats in the Pasquotank County Courthouse courtroom.
Culpepper and White were among nine people who formally spoke at the hearing, which lasted 50 minutes.
Others questioned drainage, overpasses, ramp stoplights and future connector roads. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
COMMENTS ACCEPTED
Written comments on the U.S. Route 17 bypass are still being
accepted for the next week. Letters can be sent to L.L. Hendricks,
N.C. Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, P.O. Box
25201, Raleigh, N.C., 27611.
For additional information, Hendricks can be reached at (919)
250-4092 or faxed at (919) 250-4208. by CNB