
DATE: Thursday, May 22, 1997                TAG: 9705220532

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: WATERLILY                         LENGTH:   74 lines

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LOOKS INTO WATERLILY ROAD PROBLEMS

A caravan including the state transportation secretary pulled over on Waterlily Road so officials could have a look at the damage done by the waters of Currituck Sound.

The eroding shoreline they had seen on four previous stops that morning. This time, however, the men in suits studied a 4-foot-deep sinkhole within a foot of the road's surface.

The depression left quite an impression.

``Well, I think we've got a problem,'' Secretary Garland Garrett said Wednesday, glancing up from the hole. He'd repeat the comment at the end of the tour.

``An honest comment from a politician, how 'bout that?'' responded Leslie Collier, 66, a longtime Waterlily resident who has spent decades trying to save Churches Island's only road from falling into Currituck Sound.

The sinkhole, Garrett said, would be fixed right away.

The rest of the road will likely wait a little longer.

But Garrett's comments were encouraging to tourists and the 250 island residents who want to see the road made safer.

The 16-foot-wide State Road 1142, built in 1956, parallels an ever-shrinking shoreline undermined by occasional rough seas and omnipresent rodents. There are no guardrails.

Even patches that appear wide enough to accommodate a car are sometimes deceptively dangerous ledges with no soils beneath.

Fortunately, there have been few accidents and only one death on the road in recent memory. But residents who daily use the island's only artery say it's just a matter of time.

``Our primary concern is with schoolchildren,'' said Bob Henley, whose property was on Wednesday's tour.

Two buses use the road, which is not wide enough to easily accommodate passing large vehicles. Thus, one automobile must pull onto a shoulder when another approaches in the opposite lane.

Following a visit by then-Gov. Bob Scott in the 1970s, a police cruiser was ordered to escort school buses along the road. But the measure did not last long.

Garrett on Wednesday said the escort system did not need to be revived, but he did agree that something needed to be done - and soon.

The secretary said he'd discuss the situation with Gov. James B. Hunt Jr.

``We'll see what we can do to stabilize it,'' he said.

Likely solutions include bulkheading the banks or shifting the road. Both would cost millions of dollars.

``Once it falls in, it's going to cost untold dollars compared to what it will now,'' Collier commented.

Garrett also complimented local Department of Transportation employees for their continued maintenance of the 3 1/2-mile asphalt road. Despite erosion problems, the highway itself remains in good condition.

In addition to buses, many recreational vehicle drivers use the road to get to and from campgrounds at the northern end of the island.

John Mulvey, the county's economic developer, added that Waterlily was once a prime fishing village and remains a historic point in Currituck.

``I think it's appropriate to preserve that kind of heritage,'' he said.

Following the Waterlily Road tour, Garrett met with county officials at The Crawford House in Currituck to discuss other transportation needs.

The talk included support for a mid-county bridge across Currituck Sound to ease traffic congestion and improve hurricane evacuations. ILLUSTRATION: IN NEED OF REPAIR

The 16-foot-wide State Road 1142, built in 1956, parallels an

ever-shrinking shoreline undermined by occasional rough seas and

omnipresent rodents. There are no guardrails for protection.

Even patches that appear wide enough to accommodate a car are

sometimes deceptively dangerous ledges with no soils beneath.

``Our primary concern is with schoolchildren,'' said Bob Henley,

whose property was on Wednesday's tour.

Two buses use the road, which is not wide enough to easily

accommodate passing large vehicles. Thus, one automobile must pull

onto a shoulder when another approaches in the opposite lane.