Wednesday, July 26, 2006

New Hwy 70 Bypass in Carteret County Gaining Momentum

Fishermen from Raleigh and other central NC areas who rely on Highway 70 to reach Morehead City, Emerald Isle, and other Crystal Coast destinations have a lot to look forward to. Last week Carteret County commissioners voted to back the NC DOT's new Northern Carteret County bypass route for US Highway 70. A study will look at a route that originates in Beaufort and continues through the northern portion of the county and connects to Hwy 70 at the Havelock bypass. This is the second proposed location for the bypass, a previous proposal in 1999 was rejected due to the numbers of homes impacted. The new route travels primarily through large tracts of timber land and disrupts only a few homes. With the formal approval of Carteret County, the project is quickly gaining momentum. The NC DOT has ranked the Northern Carteret County bypass #2 on the 2007 Transportation Improvement Plan. In addition to connecting fishermen to the coast, the bypass is also critical to cargo transportation to and from the state port at Morehead City. The DOT views the bypass as an integral part of the development of the 135 mile Hwy 70 corridor into the Super 70 Coridoor connecting Raleigh to the coast. More on the bypass is available from the Jacksonville Daily News.

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