And the battle rages on, now behind closed doors and plus a mediator. The fight over replacing the lifeline to Hatteras Island, the aging Herbert C. Bonner bridge, has been ON since a lawsuit was filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center in 2011. This update on the Island Free Press shares the details of this latest development.
“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit today granted a request by all of the parties involved in the legal wrangling over replacing the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge for the assistance of a mediator in their effort to negotiate a settlement in the case.
A joint motion by the parties asking for referral to the Appeals Court’s Mediation Program was filed on Monday, Feb. 9. The plaintiffs, defendants, and defendant-intervenor said that the parties in the case have made “substantial progress toward settlement” but feel that the assistance of a mediator “will be helpful, perhaps essential” in resolving the remaining issues.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in 2011 by the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of its clients, Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Refuge Association, against the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Association.”
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