After months of debate the NC Board of Transportation has voted to name the new Oregon Inlet bridge after longtime Senate Pro Tem Marc Basnight, who represented Dare County until his retirement in 2011. Rob Morris of the Outer Banks Voice has the story.
Board of Transportation OK’s naming new bridge for Basnight
By Rob Morris on March 7, 2019
The new bridge over Oregon Inlet will be named after former state Senator Marc Basnight.
Despite objections from some Hatteras Islanders, the state Board of Transportation approved a resolution Thursday naming the bridge for the longtime Senate leader.
The board took up the resolution after a recommendation last month from its Road, Bridge and Ferry Naming Committee.
Customarily, a naming requires the unanimous consent of the local governing body. Dare County sent a resolution to the state despite a 3-2 vote, and the board made an exception.
Construction began on the $252 million bridge in March of 2016. It opened Feb. 25.
The new bridge is 2.8 miles long and rises 90 feet above Oregon Inlet at its highest point, with 8-foot shoulders on each side. It is the first bridge in the state built with stainless reinforcing steel, which will provide extra protection against the salt water environment and last 100 years.
The new bridge replaces the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, which was built in 1963. Demolition of the old bridge will begin soon and is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. A 1,000-foot section of the south end of the old bridge will remain as a pedestrian walkway.
Here’s the full resolution:
WHEREAS, the Dare County Board of Commissioners requested to have the North Carolina
Board of Transportation name the new bridge over Oregon Inlet in honor of Marc Basnight
while also honoring the legacy of Herbert C. Bonner; andADVERTISING
WHEREAS, Basnight grew up on the Outer Banks, graduated from Manteo High School and
achieved success as a business owner who provided local job opportunities before embarking on a
distinguished career of public service as an elected official; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, Basnight was elected to serve in the North Carolina Senate, a position of
public trust that he held until his resignation in 2011 due to health issues; and
WHEREAS, during his legislative tenure, Basnight provided leadership and direction as the
President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate, where he became the longest-serving Senate
President in state history; and
WHEREAS, throughout his public service career, Basnight was a passionate and effective
advocate for advancing education, providing transportation infrastructure, safeguarding the
environment and other issues of public concern; and
WHEREAS, the Dare County Board of Commissioners believes that naming the new bridge
over Oregon Inlet in honor of former Senator Marc Basnight is a fitting tribute to a remarkable
man who served the people of the Outer Banks and all North Carolinians in a way that will be
long remembered; and
WHEREAS, the Dare County Board of Commissioners requested the North Carolina Board
of Transportation retain the Herbert C. Bonner name with an appropriate placard dedicating
the portion of the old structure that will remain and serve as a pedestrian walkway after the new
bridge is placed in service.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:
That the North Carolina Board of Transportation rescinds the previously designated road for
Marc Basnight along N.C. 12 in Dare and Hyde counties from U.S. 64 to the ferry terminal in
Ocracoke and names the new bridge over Oregon Inlet as the Marc Basnight Bridge.
That appropriate signs will be erected at a suitable time.
Adopted this the 7th day of March 2019 by the North Carolina Board of Transportation.
