How much should bridge toll be? Span designers conduct online survey

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 (taken from THE DAILY ADVANCE NEWSPAPER)

How much would you pay to cross the Mid-Currituck Bridge?
That's what the state agency overseeing the Currituck County bridge project wants to know from local residents.
The N.C. Turnpike Authority is conducting an online survey that asks residents of Currituck, Dare, Camden and Pasquotank counties how much of a toll they would be willing to pay to cross the bridge that will link the Currituck mainland and Outer Banks.

The survey, which is online at nustats.com/midcurrituck, also asks respondents how often they believe they would cross the bridge, whether they would cross it for business, commuting or vacation travel, and whether they would use the bridge under certain conditions, such as when summertime traffic is backed up on the Wright Memorial Bridge in Dare County.

The survey also asks participants questions about their permanent residence and their level of income.

According to Reid Simons, director of government and public affairs for the Turnpike Authority, the "willingness to pay" survey is part of the Investment Grade
Traffic and Revenue Study being completed by the group in charge of building the bridge, the Currituck Development Group and its sub-consultant, NuStats.
"It's an exclusive study that certifies the projected revenue of a roadway," Simons said. "It's what the Turnpike Authority will use to get the credit to sell bonds to build the road."

With a price tag of $660 million, the Mid-Currituck Bridge is expected to be one of the first toll road projects in the state. Estimates for the toll have ranged from $6 per crossing to $30.

In an e-mail, Simons said a research team completed an earlier willingness to pay survey of visitors to the Outer Banks during the peak season of the summer. The team is now focusing on off-peak season traffic, specifically residents of the four counties expected to use the bridge more than others.
The Investment Grade Traffic and Revenue Study is to be complete next spring.

Planned for decades, construction on the mid-county bridge is expected to get under way late next year and be complete in 2013.
The bridge's designers are currently studying the proposed span's environmental impacts. A draft environmental impact statement on the bridge should be ready in November. Public workshops on the DEIS will be held after the study's release, officials.

The Currituck Development Group's partners on the project include ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc.; Dragados USA, Inc.; and Lochner-MMM Group.