——— PRO ———

By Vicki Carlisle

I’ve lived in this county all of my life, and I remember a time back in the late 60s or maybe early 70s (I think) that bridging the Neuse was a source of contention for citizens. I remember thinking how much it would benefit the county, but many didn’t want to open to county to ‘outsiders.’  A lot of folks had bumper stickers on their cars reading, “Bridge the Neuse”, so it had become quite a dispute.  I guess the politics of not building a bridge won out, and the alternative was the ferry.  I have read with interest the reasons behind the objections to a bridge adjoining Cherry Point and Minnesott Beach.  We have a bridge in Oriental, and I don’t understand the issue of pollution, noise or trash.  Those are not problems in our town.  Making it easier for Minnesott to be targeted by criminals is like grasping at straws.  None of the reasons I’ve read are valid reasons to try to isolate the town from progress; progress that would benefit the whole county.  I don’t know what percentage of people in the county make a living across the river, but that’s an important factor.  Property values would increase, and it would certainly help the economy of Pamlico County.  The people who protested the bridge all those years ago, are gone now.  They didn’t want to open the county to progress then either, and even though we’re a long way behind most places, I’m certainly glad to have the progress we’ve seen.

——— CON ———

By Brady Tubb

I worked in the State of NC for 30 years,  My job allowed me to travel all over the state.  I have a degree in Environmental Science from UNCW.  It is my opinion that the DOT should not build the bridge. I believe increasing the amount of roads to the beach is a bad idea and we only need to look at other beach front towns that suffered from the poor planning of the DOT. Wilmington is a good example.  Traffic jams happen frequently because there are too many people and not enough land.  The town is surrounded by what is called hard spaces.  The beach and the Cape Fear river.  The town cannot grow because the county is on the other side.  Any growth that is good for the county, is probably bad for the town.  I believe it will be the same with Beaufort and Morehead City bearing the brunt of the harm.  We also must remember the lives destroyed my eminent domain claiming houses that have been around for centuries and digging up graveyards so that roads can go through. I think the ferry is a good way to regulate the flow of people to the Coast.  I also hope that someday the ferry system will switch to electric.  The amount of money taxpayers would save would be remarkable.   Thanks for listening.