An end run

It's wise that all options are again on the table for a plan to bridge Bodie and Pea islands. A long view is needed

After four decades in the shifting sands of Oregon Inlet, the Bonner Bridge is a troubled bridge. This essential link between Bodie and Pea islands on the Outer Banks, south of Nags Head, is overdue for replacement -- but what will replace it? A short bridge or a long one?

On that, the tides have ebbed and flowed. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service had made a good case for a 17-mile-long span that would bypass the problem of maintaining Outer Banks lifeline N.C. 12 on erosion-prone Pea Island.

The long bridge would stretch in Pamlico Sound from Bodie Island to Rodanthe. Then last summer, with local and state officials already favoring a shorter (2.7 miles) alternative, the U.S. interior secretary weighed in heavily on their side. That seemed to deep-six the 17-mile span.

Now -- maybe not. State Department of Transportation officials recently told The N&O's Jerry Allegood that all alternatives are again being considered. If so, it's good news. The long or short of it is, this is a big decision for North Carolina, one to be made with feet on the ground and eyes on the horizon.

Each bridge plan comes loaded with options. The Pamlico Sound span terminates on Hatteras Island in either an intersection or a sweeping curve.

For the shorter 2.7-mile bridge, which would run alongside the to-be-demolished Bonner Bridge, the options center on what to do with N.C. 12 south of the bridge. The road could be left where it is, with sand "nourishment" on its seaward side (and prayer, presumably). Or there could be combinations of roadway and, eventually, new spans along Pea Island. Visualize a different kind of long bridge, this one in segments and on the island itself -- or over water, if the sand packs up and moves.

And the prices? A useful comparison is at www.obtf.org/specialconcerns/bonnerbridge/pdf/February2007_NL.pdf. The bottom lines are astronomical, some well in excess of $1 billion over 50 years or so.

It's fair to say that the short bridge costs less now but about the same over the long haul, unless N.C. 12 stays as it is or is relocated within the National Wildlife Refuge. Then going short would save the state several hundred million dollars.

There are other considerations. Each side claims superior hurricane evacuation. Anglers insist on access to the northern end of Pea Island, which would be more difficult with the long bridge. Conversely, environmentalists say that span would enhance the wildlife refuge.

It's a close call, one that should consider all options on their merits. The view from here: if we're going to spend a pirate's ransom anyway, go with the bridge that bypasses most of the problems. The long one.