Beaufort's future is being by-passed, once again | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    We love making Beaufort County home. But it is distressing to live in a county that has leaders with so little vision. For those who care to see, we have yet another example, happening right before our eyes, that is so typical of the myopic vision that has plagued Beaufort County and Washington for many years. In this instance it is the transportation infrastructure that will determine much of our grandchildren's future. And our leaders are oblivious to what is happening, if you judge their vision by what they are talking about.

    Here's the nutshell version. Plans are in the works to extend the inter-state highway system east of I-95. And it is going to by-pass Beaufort County and even Pitt County if all goes as currently planned. And our leaders are not at the table as these plans are being made.

    We recently published an article that highlights the most recent action. Click here to review that.

    Now what we did not say in that article should be said here. For those of us who have long been observers of DownEast politics, there is a remarkable event depicted in this story that is most unusual. For the first time in our lifetimes, a governor of this Great State, is proposing an east-west interstate through Eastern North Carolina. Even easterner Jim Hunt did not do that.

    But the issue is the route. Current plans are to extend this interstate highway along the path of U. S. 64 to Williamston and then more or less follow U. S. 17 into the Norfolk area. The link above covers a recent report by the Director of the U. S. 17 Association to the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, yet it drew almost no questions and absolutely no significant discussion from any of our county commissioners.

    Here's our vision: There is a need for an east-west interstate in Eastern North Carolina. That interstate should run through Greenville and connect to U. S. 17 at Washington. In other words, from Raleigh it should follow U. S. 264 rather than U. S. 64. Must of 264 is already at interstate standard. So there are a number of technical reasons this is a better route, but that's not the issue. The issue is the strategic impact of the interstate.

    Strategically, the Vidant medical complex in Greenville should be on the interstate system. Vidant/ECU Medical School is one of the most strategic asset this state has. Access to that asset should be what our leaders are focusing on, rather than building a new jail.

    Let just give you one example that every county commissioner except Hood Richardson and Stan Deatherage should hang their head in shame about. Imagine this:

    Several years ago when the state was planning to build a new bridge over the Pamlico our county fathers allowed themselves to be bullied into building is where the U. S. 17 by-pass is now located. Only Hood and Stan fought for the bridge being placed east of Washington.

    Imagine if it had been built at the narrows of the Pamlico east of Washington (between Hills Point and just west of Broad Creek). That road would have then been tied into U. S. 17 between Washington and Williamston north of Washington and somewhere near Wilmar. A loop would connect U.S. 264 coming into Washington and running north of Warren Field, but close enough to service the airport and Beaufort Vidant. Fifteenth Street would no longer be a problem. And I could see the day coming when the Washington Beltline would be extended south of U. S. 264 to connect at Wilmar.

    Imagine too that when that road was being built the also ran sewer and natural gas along the route. At that point Beaufort County, along with Pitt County would become the hub of central Eastern North Carolina, driven by the health care engine in Greenville.

    Add to that the Arlington/264 connector we wrote (click here) and you have the infrastructure that would cause Beaufort County to be an economic dynamo along with a residential haven for those who work in the Vidant/ECU/VA Medical complex.

    Instead, what we are headed toward is Pitt and Beaufort County being by-passed. Instead, Al Klemm and the Committee of 100 (the clowns who claim to be the economic development gurus of Beaufort County) were off chasing smoke stacks and wasting ten million dollars on industrial parks that now grow cotton and soy beans. Al and his crony capitalist who have raped Beaufort County ought to be ashamed to show their face until Washington is on the interstate system.

    Instead, the good taxpayers of Beaufort County were scammed into spending 30 million for schools that will not support economic development. Southside High School, the most expensive school ever built in North Carolina, at the time it was built, services a dwindling population. Aurora is still the most overbuilt school in the state and P. S. Jones and John Small were located in such a way that they are not only not an asset for residential growth but a detriment thereto.

    And we have no plans for attractive school facilities that would draw residential development from the high paying jobs in the Medical Complex in Greenville.

    And the Gang of Four (Langley, Belcher, Booth, Klemm) are consumed with building a jail that will have a "core capacity" for four times as many prisoners as have ever been incarcerated in Beaufort County.

    It's deja vu all over again. Unless, some of our leaders get a vision of what could be.

    Click here to read about what is going on while we dilly-dally with jails and soy bean fields.