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| Plans are in the works to transform a 600-foot section of the old Chowan River bridge into a fishing pier with a pier house and restrooms. CHRIS CURRY/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT |
By LAUREN KING, The Virginian-Pilot © June 3, 2007
Since 2000, a 600-foot portion of the old Chowan River bridge has sat parallel to the newer bridge that carries traffic between Chowan and Bertie counties.
Chowan County, the town of Edenton and North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission officials have been working on plans to transform the 600-foot section into a fishing pier with a pier house and bathrooms.
The project has received its first major cash infusion with an announcement from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources that $200,000 collected from a new Coastal Recreational Fishing license will pay for an engineering design.
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The state Wildlife Resources Commission will also work to improve a nearby boat ramp, said Robbie Laughton, director of the Edenton-Chowan Parks and Recreation Department.
The pier and the boat ramp will share an existing parking lot to save costs, he said.
The project could be completed as early as the summer of 2009, Laughton said.
The state began collecting the new Coastal Recreational Fishing license in January, so the earliest any money will be made available for the Chowan River bridge project will be January 2008.
"We're very, very pleased that all the agencies thought this would be a great project," he said.
It took three years to build the $39 million replacement bridge that arcs 67 feet over the Chowan River. It opened to traffic in 1999.
Most of the old bridge, with its clearance of about 10 feet, was removed in 2000, Laughton said.
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