During the 1996 presidential campaign, we got the Soccer Moms.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, we got the Hockey Moms.
Now, as the 20-year campaign to get the aging Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet replaced drags on and on, we have the Bridge Moms.
Just as the Hockey Moms and Soccer Moms did, the Bridge Moms have an agenda.
Their agenda is the safety of the children.
The Bridge Moms are being organized by Beth Midgett of Hatteras village, who is also the chairperson of Dare County?s Citizen?s Committee to Replace the Bonner Bridge Now.
The idea crystallized after the July 8 public comment meeting in Buxton on the latest in a long line of environmental studies on replacing the bridge.
Several women, Midgett says, talked about how they worry about the safety of their children as they drive over the bridge.
The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge was opened in 1963. It ushered in a new era in transportation on Hatteras Island and opened the island to hundreds of thousands of new tourists who no longer had to take a ferry across Oregon Inlet.
However, the bridge was built to have a lifespan of 30 years, so its replacement is now 17 years overdue.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says the bridge is safe for the traveling public but it has a sufficiency rating of either 2 or 4 out of 100 ? depending on to whom you talk.
As Beth thought about the women who spoke about their safety worries at the public hearing, she quickly began thinking about a campaign by women ? mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, aunts ? who worry about the safety of the children who must travel over the bridge.
?We are fearful of any further delays and the consequences it could have in the future for our children?s safety,? Midgett said last week.
The goal, she said, is to send a nationwide message, ?Construction of a replacement bridge must begin immediately so our children?s future will be safe.?
The group plans a letter writing campaign, video messages, and a direct appeal to two mothers ? North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and First Lady Michelle Obama.
An organizational meeting is planned for Thursday, July 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hatteras Civic Center.
?We need as many women as possible to attend and bring along a concerned friend.? Midgett said. ?If you and your children, of whatever age, cross the Bonner Bridge, you should be at this meeting. Mothers of all ages and types are needed. Whether you are a mother-to-be, a stepmother, or a great-great grandmother, come be part of this group. As women, it is time for us to stand together as mothers and speak out about our children?s safety.?
Midgett said she was most impressed by the comments that Natalie Perry Kavanagh of Frisco made at the public hearing.
Kavanagh, 35, is a Hatteras native who works in the family business, Frisco Rod & Gun and Frisco Shopping Center. She is the wife of charter-boat captain, Jay Kavanagh, and most importantly, she is the mother of 2-year-old Joe Kavanagh.
So, here are her public comments that are the call to action for the new Bridge Moms.
Because three minutes always go by faster than you think, I will start with this statement — begin building the Bonner Bridge replacement at once. Enough studies have been done, enough time has passed, enough patience has been asked for. I was in high school when the replacement options began being discussed. It is time to start!
Several years ago NCDOT held a public hearing that I attended and spoke at. I was confident that soon after, we would see progress made. Perhaps even construction begun. Our hopes were high. I even made a joke or two in my public comment. Tonight I find NOTHING funny to comment on. Tonight I want to impress upon you that our patience is done and our aggravation is high.
Perhaps the difference from that night several years ago to now is that, in that time, I have become a mother. My son is 2 years old. For me to take him to the doctor, to a fun class, or to go shop for things he needs, we must drive over that bridge. That bridge that is rated a 4 out of 100 in safety. I feel like a terrible parent making that drive. My heart rate increases, my palms start to sweat, and I feel a little sick to my stomach, because what I am driving him over is a bridge that is rated worse than the one that collapsed in Minnesota a few years ago. That was one that their experts said was safe. It was one that they were doing maintenance repairs on to buy it a few more years. It is one whose collapse flashes in my mind the minute I drive my 2-year-old baby onto ours.
I even have a little ?what if? plan that runs through my head when I drive with him over that bridge. What if this collapses while we are on it? If by some miracle we survive the fall, then can I get my seatbelt unbuckled, get to the back seat to him, get him unbuckled and out of his car seat, get out of the vehicle, and then hold on to him in the waters of one of the most treacherous inlets on the East Coast. It?s not possible! We would not survive, or worse what if I did and he didn?t?
You say it is safe. I imagine you are rolling your eyes and saying that I am an over-reacting paranoid mother. Perhaps, I am. But I just can?t get that Minnesota bridge out of my mind. I believe you when you say the bridge is safe now, but what about next year? What about in the time it takes to build a new bridge? Is the old one safe for four more years? Six more? Ten more? If it is damaged, is unsafe to drive on, or actually falls into the inlet, for you it is a very bad day at work — extra paperwork, someone might get fired. But for me it could mean my business? failure, the inability to get supplies here, or the worst, a loss of a friend, a family member, or even my son?s life. Are you willing to risk that?
Begin building it. Do it now.
You can join the Bridge Moms on Thursday evening at 6:30 at the Hatteras Civic Center. If you can?t make the meeting or don?t live here and still want to be involved, e-mail Midgett at bethm@midgettrealty.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To read the Department of Interior comments on the Environmental Assessment, click here.
To read the Southern Environmental Law Center comments on the Environmental Assessment, click here.
To read, the Southern Environmental Law Center comments on the Mid-Currituck Bridge project, click here.
Click here to read more about the Environmental Assessment of the bridge replacement project and the public meetings.
Click here for a timeline on replacing the Bonner Bridger
HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS
If you missed the public hearings, you can still submit comments until Aug. 9.
Citizens who did not speak at the meetings but would like to provide comments can mail them to Drew Joyner, Human Environment Unit Head, NCDOT, 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1598. They may also call or e-mail their comments to Drew Joyner at (919) 431-6700 or djoyner@ncdot.gov.
NCDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, and other agencies will review the comments received and then determine if additional environmental studies are needed.
To read the Environmental Assessment and view the project maps, visit the NCDOT Web site or the Outer Banks Task Force Web site. Copies of theEnvironmental Assessment are also available at the following locations:
? Dare County Planning and Inspections Satellite Office 49815 Highway12 in Frisco.
? NCDOT Resident Engineer?s Office 349 Waterplant Road, Unit B Manteo
? Dare County Public Library 700 U.S. 64/264 Manteo
? Dare County Public Library 56658 Highway 12 Hatteras
? Dare County Public Library 400 Mustian St. Kill Devil Hills
? Fessenden Recreation Center 46830 Highway 12 Buxton
Copies of the maps are available at the Dare County Planning and Inspections Satellite Office in Frisco and the NCDOT Resident Engineer?sOffice in Manteo.
