MANTEO, N.C. — The replacement bridge for the Bonner is almost ready to open, and officials are considering giving it a new name.
Some want to keep the name Bonner Bridge, while others believe it should be named after Marc Basnight. Basnight grew up on the Outer Banks, served in the Senate, and still lives in the area.
Joseph Williams said although he likes Basnight, it doesn’t mean the bridge should be named after him.
“I like Marc Basnight. He’s a great man for as far as what he’s done for this community. He did a lot for us,” said Joseph Williams. “I don’t think there should be assigned to anybody. It should just be called Oregon Inlet Bridge, then it keeps all the politics out of it.”
Dare County Commissioners posted an online forum, before passing a resolution to name the bridge in honor of Basnight. Public Information Officer Dorothy Hester confirms it was a 3-2 vote.
“That information then sent forward to the state, and as I understand at this point, they will consider it. It’s in their hands now,” Hester said.
Many people in Hatteras Island are against the change. They started a Facebook page that has received thousands of likes. Members told 13News Now there wasn’t enough notice about the online forum and it’s their understanding commissioners needed a unanimous vote for it to move to the Department of Transportation.
“The ultimate goal would be for the commissioners of Dare County and at this point the Governor and DOT to take notice of the local people on the island that we don’t want this, the name of the bridge changed, and we most certainly don’t it changed to Marc Basnight,” explained community member Jayson Collier.
NC DOT will make the final decision in the coming weeks.
“I guess we have to wait and see, something tells me it will be named after mark though,” Williams said.