THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604250413
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
With a stiff breeze behind their backs and smooth blacktop beneath their wheels, officials of this Outer Banks beach town got rolling Wednesday morning.
About 50 people turned out to tour the new Kill Devil Hills bike path, which runs almost a mile from the southern end of First Street to Veterans Drive off Colington Road. Pedestrians, cyclists and in-line skaters have been enjoying the off-road asphalt trail since March. On Wednesday, it officially opened to the public.
``I think it turned out really nice. It will create a way for children to ride their bikes to and from the First Flight schools,'' Mayor Duncan Wright said. ``This path is a great example of how different governments working together can create something useful that will benefit both permanent residents and our visitors.''
Although money for the $117,015 path initially was put up by Kill Devil Hills taxpayers, the state Department of Transportation will fully reimburse the town when a final inspection is complete. Officials with the National Park Service also assisted in the trail's construction by allowing the route to use their property near the grounds of the Wright Brothers National Monument.
``We're thrilled to have it open and available,'' Town Manager Debora Diaz said. ``As the weather continues to improve, usage will continue to increase. Children and adults alike seem to be enjoying it.''
The 10-foot-wide bike path is the third such trail on the Outer Banks, with others opening during the past two years in Manteo and South Nags Head. Kill Devil Hills' route is the widest in the area. And it's the only one that has a yellow stripe down the center.
Town Planning Director Greg Loy said the stripe was painted at the state's suggestion. ``It's a safety standard - like wearing bike helmets,'' he said. ``It'll help teach kids the rules of the road and keep people staying on the right side of the path.''
Duncan said he, personally, doesn't like the striping. Other residents have said it makes the trail look like a go-kart track. And some motorcyclists have tried to cruise down the path - although that's illegal.
To keep cars off the new bike route, officials stretched a metal chain across its western end. When signs prohibiting motorized vehicles are put in place, Loy said, that chain will be replaced by three steel poles filled with concrete - spaced far enough apart to allow bikes and skaters to slide through, but close enough to keep autos from passing. The chain probably will come down permanently by Memorial Day.
``I've asked the Department of Transportation to put azaleas or crepe myrtles in the median there along Colington Road to separate the new bike path even further from the street,'' Wright said. ``The trail already is being well used - and should provide recreational opportunities for everyone.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by RONALD L. SPEER, The Virginian-Pilot
A nattily dressed Wallace McCown leads the way down the new Kill
Devil Hills bike trail that officially opened Wednesday.
by CNB