County Politicians are why we Have a Ferry Toll | Eastern NC Now

    Beaufort County residents are now faced with a ferry toll because some County Commissioners had to help their buds. Yes, Beaufort County politics are why our citizens are faced with ferry tolls. Had Highway 17 been placed to the east of Washington as advocated by Commissioners Hood Richardson and Stan Deatherage we would not have a ferry, we would have a bridge across the Pamlico River.

    Remember the big political fight about locating the US 17 bypass west of Washington. It lasted at least two years. The Department of Transportation refused to pick a route that was not approved by the County Commissioners. Finally RINO Commissioner Jay McRoy and his Democrat Buddies got together and voted on Route B which placed the By Pass where it is now located. The vote was 5 to 2.

    All of the advantages to having the road east of Washington were discussed along with the disadvantages of having it on the west side. The east side did away with the ferry, gave the Aurora area a good link to Washington, improved school bus traffic, provided the sheriff, agriculture and logging traffic great advantages. The new US 17 would have been good advertising for Beaufort County with the woodlands on both sides, the high bridge spanning about 2 miles of the Pamlico. Washington would have been the only exit City between Williamston and New Bern.

    We pointed out the west side was only a by pass and would hurt business in the City of Washington. To add insult to injury the Commissioners by a recent 5 to 2 vote are allowing the Department of Transportation to build a rest stop South of Chocowinity. Not many people are not going to get off the BY PASS to come to Washington when they see the sign that says "REST STOP AHEAD". Now the City of Washington is spending thousands of dollars to get people off the by pass and into Washington.

    The Town of Chocowinity is a big looser. A lot of the well drained, developable land adjoining Chocowinty now has the US 17 right of way dividing it. The Town only got a Bo Jangles Restaurant that may never be built.

    Hood Richardson and Stan Deatherage made one last effort to save the business community in Washington by proposing to use the Carolina Avenue route for the new US 17. Carolina Avenue would have been widened and another bridge put across the Pamlico River.

    How many of the citizens of Beaufort County use the US 17 Bypass at all. Watch the interchange on West Fifth Street and you will see that it is a by pass with very few residents of Beaufort County having any use of it. The majority of the traffic coming on to West 5th Street is headed to Greenville. The US 17 By Pass is a 190 million dollar mistake