Issues & Policy >

A Bridge to the Future: The Long and Short of Bonner Bridge

Birders from across the state and country flock to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on North Carolina’s Outer Banks for the more than 365 species of birds that have been spotted there, including many rarities. This Global Important Bird Area is well known for its waterfowl, wading, and shore birds.

Most arriving at the refuge will have come over a high, 2.5 mile-long bridge spanning Oregon Inlet, a swirling opening into Pamlico Sound between Bodie and Pea islands. This important transportation link for the people of Cape Hatteras, known as the Bonner Bridge, is nearing the end of its life and clearly needs replacing. There is little disagreement there.

Transportation officials have been working for years to come up with plans for a replacement. In 2003, 13 state and federal agencies had finally agreed on an approach that maximized safety and durability while minimizing environmental impacts and costs over the long run. That plan called for work to begin on the replacement this past August. So why aren’t there construction barges and cranes already in place? Politics.

The plan proposed has become known as “the long bridge” option. Since the original Bonner Bridge was built in 1963, scientists and local citizens have learned a great deal about the realities of our dynamic Outer Banks. The connected strips of islands tend to migrate over time, and major storms routinely wash out roads, blocking access, and escape for citizens and visitors alike.

The stretch of road (NC 12) running through Pea Island NWR is especially vulnerable. Millions of dollars are spent just to push overwashed sand off the roads, and major repairs are too often required after storm events. A new inlet – always a possibility on the narrow Outer Banks – would sever the road for at least two months, if not longer.

The long bridge concept proposes a 17-mile span to bypass these troublesome areas, providing more secure transportation. In addition, with the new corridor at a safer spot on the bridge out in the sound, Pea Island could again be a refuge. Beach-nesting birds such as Least Terns, Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers, Wilson’s Plovers, and Piping Plovers would benefit dramatically from the restoration of their habitats.

But a few local politicians pulled strings to stop the plan. They claimed that it would cost too much and deny access to the refuge. It seems they have plans to build other bridges and more roadways in the region and feared this project would use up their state and federal funding allocations.

Audubon North Carolina is sympathetic to all these concerns and researched the options thoroughly. Our conclusion was the same as that of the federal and state experts three years ago. A long bridge is the only sustainable option that is compatible with both the interests of the refuge and those of local citizens and tourists. At public hearings prior to the 2003 agreement, citizen comments were 2 to 1 in favor of the long bridge.

Will the long bridge cost more than shorter options? Yes, but only if you measure it over the short run. The best estimates (those done by NC State University engineers before politicians started looking for ways to inflate their case) show a short bridge, comparable to the existing Bonner Bridge, costing $191 million to build. Reasonable until you note the more than $900 million additional money needed to maintain the roadways it would depend on. Alternatively, the long bridge would cost $425 million in initial construction but then bypass the road problems. Bridges like this should be designed to last well into the future–50, even 100 years. Short-term political thinking only passes the buck to others to fund.

Even if a short bridge were put in place now, it would too soon end up being a bridge to nowhere. The migrating sands of Pea Island would necessitate moving NC 12 further west, running through and destroying 78 acres of wetlands – prime habitats for waterfowl and other birds. Concern over impacts from maintaining a road to a short bridge is why the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the local refuge manager have vocally supported the long bridge for at least the past 5 years.

Certainly, Audubon is concerned about continuing access to Pea Island. I have been given assurances that while access for birders, fishermen and beachgoers would change over time, refuge officials would work with all of us to come up with ways we could still explore and appreciate the special areas on this stretch of the Outer Banks. If we allow the natural resources to degrade, as they would under the short bridge plan, then the very reasons we come to enjoy the area will go with them.

Unfortunately, at the end of July 2006, the new Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne ignored the long-held positions of his staff and cut a deal with local and state politicians to proclaim a short bridge “solution.” Audubon and many other environmental organizations were stunned. It seems indefensible from biological, engineering, safety, and perhaps even legal perspectives.

We believe North Carolina deserves a solution for the long term. Simply put, a short bridge is merely a short-term remedy and ultimately a waste of money. For more information on the work we and other members of our growing coalition are doing to find a sound solution, go to the Build the Long Bridge website.