Coastal transportation — a rose or a thorn? 



Photo by N C. Dept. of Transportation 



Editor's note: Water is a natural 

 part of the coastal setting — the ocean, 

 the rivers, the sounds, the inlets. And 

 people who live along the coast have 

 found the waters to be both an aid and 

 a hindrance to travel. In a two-part 

 series, Coastwatch will examine some 

 of the problems inherent in coastal 

 transportation . The October issue will 

 discuss the means of spanning these 

 bodies of water: ferries and bridges. 



From the pontoon drawbridge at 

 Sunset Beach to the three-mile, con- 

 crete span bridge at Oregon Inlet, 

 transportation officials have tried to 

 link coastal North Carolina across a 

 labyrinth of rivers, inlets and sounds. 



Transportation has been a con- 

 troversial topic among coastal resi- 

 dents and bridges have often been part 

 of the controversy as residents have 

 fought for and against their placement. 



William F. Caddell, assistant 

 secretary of planning at the N.C. De- 

 partment of Transportation, says the 

 N.C. Board of Transportation decides 

 when and where bridges will be built. 



The department's planning division 

 recommends certain locations for 

 bridges based on studies, Caddell says. 

 But the public also plays a role in 

 bridge planning, he added. 



"Anyone can request a new bridge," 

 Caddell says. "These requests are what 

 the department considers candidate 

 projects. We have hundreds of them." 



Also, the board of transportation has 

 public meetings throughout the state 

 so citizens and local government of- 

 ficials can tell the board their trans- 

 Con tinued on next page 



Cape Fear Memorial Bridge near Wilmington 



