For Immediate Release - September 1, 2006

COALITION LAUNCHES NEW RADIO AD
PROMOTING LONG BRIDGE REPLACEMENT FOR BONNER BRIDGE

Long Bridge Option Preferred for its Lower Costs, Safety,
Reliability and Minimal Environmental Impact

Nags Head, NC -- The need to replace the aging Bonner Bridge with the safer, more reliable, more environmentally sensitive long bridge led the Build the Long Bridge Coalition to begin airing radio ads in the Outer Banks asking listeners to urge Governor Easley to back the project.

"The Governor's support of the decision made by his transportation and resource agency staff back in 2003 to move forward with the long bridge option is the lynchpin this project needs in order to move ahead," stated Michelle Duval from the Raleigh, N.C., office of Environmental Defense. "Experts from 14 federal and state agencies spent years debating every aspect of the Bonner Bridge replacement, including safety, cost and reliability. Their decision to pursue the long bridge option should be respected."

Citing cost concerns, which is a main argument of short bridge proponents, the ad points out that the long bridge option would save the state money over time by avoiding the millions of dollars in upkeep to continuously clear and maintain NC Highway 12 south of the proposed short bridge option. NC-12 is routinely flooded when major storms hit the area.

"Since the long bridge requires much less annual maintenance and would not be closed down every time there is a major storm because of storm over wash--as happens with NC-12--the overall cost would be lower," stated Derb Carter from the North Carolina office of the Southern Environmental Law Center. "While the upfront cost of the long bridge is higher than replacing the existing short bridge, the maintenance cost savings make it the smart choice economically in the long term."

In a study released last year by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT), the cost of the long bridge, including maintenance, was estimated at $425 million. A short bridge proposal put forth by state senator Marc Basnight was estimated by DOT in May of this year to cost more than $1 billion once the costs for the dramatic measures needed to maintain NC-12 are taken into account. Senator Basnight has omitted this figure in past when talking about the cost of building the respective bridges.

"The bottom line is that NC-12 costs the state of North Carolina a small fortune to maintain every year," stated Noah Matson from Defenders of Wildlife. "We can build a long bridge that bypasses the refuge and saves the state in maintenance costs or we can build a short bridge to the same old road and face the same staggering maintenance costs and problems that have always plagued NC-12. A third option is to build the road right through the refuge's sensitive wetlands, destroying wildlife habitat and sensitive aquatic vegetation in the process, but no one wants to see that. The choice is simple--we can build the long bridge, save North Carolina tons of money, and save the refuge all at once."

"Our coalition is just as concerned as others are that we get moving on the Bonner Bridge replacement," concluded Matson. "The long bridge is safer, more reliable, cost effective and environmentally sound. It should be built without further delay."

###

Build the Long Bridge Coalition consists of Audubon North Carolina, Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental Defense Raleigh Office, Southern Environmental Law Center North Carolina office and The Wilderness Society.