The Outer Banks Turnpike: Historians to discuss coastal gateway that never came to be

If you’ve ever wished for another road to the Outer Banks, you’re not alone. The feasibility of an alternate route that follows the coastline has been debated and studied for decades.

A presentation that takes a close look at the history of such a route and related transportation issues is slated for June 4 at Scott Memorial United Methodist Church on First Colonial Road in Virginia Beach. The event, hosted by the Princess Anne County/Virginia Beach Historical Society, is free and open to the public.

Speakers include retired history professor Stephen Mansfield, City Councilwoman Barbara Henley, and False Cape State Park spokesperson Nathan Alley.

Serious talk about building a road between the two resort areas dates as far back as the late 1940s, according to a Nov. 23, 1988 Beacon column by Mary Reid Barrow.

In 1964, a study was published which detailed a potential route along with the accompanying challenges. The “Outer Banks Turnpike,” paid for by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority and Virginia Coastal Turnpike Authority, concluded that an ocean highway could be built for $4.3 million, if no land was donated. The road would be financed by tolls.

The proposed road was to run generally parallel the ocean, but shift to the west along Currituck Sound “to take advantage of natural cover available on the western side of the banks.”

The two-lane road would have capacity for expansion to four lanes, along with occasional parking areas on each shoulder to accommodate recreation.

An obstacle to any route is the potential environmental impacts to natural areas in Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park. Both parks are home to large numbers of migrating and wintering waterfowl.

There are also historical considerations, as the road could impact the remnants of Wash Woods, a Back Bay community developed by survivors of a shipwreck.

The report stated that “the highway is essential to ensure the continuing growth of both areas and ultimate development of a continuous recreation area from Virginia Beach to Cape Hatteras.”

While some saw the road as a solution to increasingly crowded beaches, not everyone had that view.

“Tourism and the money that came with it was a big draw for Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks,” Mansfield said. “But there were Virginians who feared that northerners would drive across the new Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, pass through Virginia Beach and not stop until they reached the Outer Banks.”

Eric Hodies, ehodies@hteam.net

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Want to go?

What: The Outer Banks Turnpike, hosted by the Princess Anne County / Virginia Beach Historical Society

Where: Scott Memorial United Methodist Church, 409 First Colonial Road, Virginia Beach

When: 2:30 p.m., June 4

Cost: Free and open to the public

Info: Visit virginiabeachhistory.org for updates