Foes end battle against Sunset Beach bridge

A group of opponents is giving up its legal fight against the planned high-rise bridge for Sunset Beach.

They've decided to accept the court's decision allowing the N.C. Department of Transportation to move forward with its construction, according to a statement issued Monday by Jim Maxwell, the Durham-based attorney representing the group.

The plaintiffs, including four individuals, the Sunset Beach Taxpayers Association and the Brunswick Environmental Action Team, filed a notice of voluntary dismissal Monday.

"We trust that the government's repeated representations that there will be no significant adverse environmental impacts on the coastal waters in this area will prove to be true and that the unspoiled beauty of Sunset Beach will be preserved," Maxwell said in the statement.

The DOT's plan for a new bridge connecting Sunset Beach's island to the mainland has been the subject of lawsuits and debates spanning 30 years.

The latest court decision not to grant a preliminary injunction that would have prevented the DOT from proceeding with plans to build the 65-foot-tall bridge was made at a hearing in December. The plaintiffs were then given time to decide whether to appeal that ruling.

Maxwell said the plaintiffs maintain their beliefs that a high-rise bridge is not the best alternative for replacing the wooden, single-lane pontoon bridge.

The group wanted the DOT to complete supplemental environmental studies to address changes in the bridge's plans since the last environmental study. The group also contended the DOT is violating the National Environmental Policy Act and the state's Environmental Protection Act.

"While my clients may continue to believe the environmental experts who studied this project and concluded that it poses the potential for irreparable damage to the fragile coastal environment surrounding Sunset Beach, they accept the decision of Judge Flanagan," Maxwell said.

Sunset Beach Mayor Ron Klein said he was confident the DOT would not build a bridge that would pose any environmental harm.

"I am looking forward to getting this thing under way, finally," said Klein, who moved to the area in 1994.

Klein, also a volunteer firefighter, said the town needs a safer bridge than the old pontoon bridge, which often breaks down and leaves emergency crews unable to reach the island.

A $31 million contract was awarded Jan. 17 to English Construction Co. to build the bridge.

DOT construction engineer Joe Blair said the contractor will begin work soon after a pre-construction conference Feb. 13.

"The contractor indicated that he was interested in starting right away," Blair said.

The contractor, the DOT and others involved in the bridge's construction will gather at the conference to discuss the project's plans.

Blair said that will include where the construction will start and how the project will proceed.

Construction is expected to take 2 1/2 years to complete.

Motorists will be redirected onto a detour road running parallel to Sunset Boulevard while approach work is being done.

Shannan Bowen: 755-6307

shannan.bowen@starnewsonline.com