HATTERAS, N.C. — Hatteras Island voters want to keep Bonner Bridge as the name for the new bridge spanning Oregon Inlet.
Atlantic Media & Research reports more than 71 percent of people who responded in a survey say the name should stay the same.
Only seven percent responded saying they want the name to be Basnight Bridge, named after former North Carolina state Senator Marc Basnight. Basnight served a record 18 years as Senate leader and represented Dare County, where the bridge is located.
The bridge's current name comes from Herbert Bonner, who was a U.S. senator from 1940 to 1965. He also signed the Southern Manifesto, a 1956 document opposing school desegregation.
The poll of 221 registered voters was conducted from February 27 through March 2 and has a margin of error of +/- 6.2 percent.
The final decision on the bridge's name will be coming from the North Carolina Department of Transportation in the coming weeks.
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