MANNS HARBOR, N.C. — Drivers may notice some changes on U.S. 64 in response to concerns from neighbors in Manns Harbor.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation lowered the speed limit on the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge between Roanoke Island and Manns Harbor to 55 mph this week and plans to post more signage in the area to remind drivers to slow down through the small community.
Outer Banks
Manns Harbor residents want drivers heading to Outer Banks to slow down
"We want them to get to our beaches and enjoy the area,” said Robin Mann, president of the Manns Harbor Civic Association. "We would just like for them to be respectful of our community and just slow down and adhere to the speed limit and be alert to the area you're traveling through."
As News 3 reported in February, Mann and other community members wrote a letter to NCDOT last year asking them to reduce the speed limit through Manns Harbor to 35 mph. Dare County Commissioners also agreed to send along a letter of their own.
In response, NCDOT engineers spent months studying the issue. In addition to lowering the speed limit on the bridge, they’re adding new messaging signs in the area and will monitor vegetation to ensure it doesn’t block views of cross traffic.
But it decided not to lower the speed limit to 35 mph, instead opting to add a small buffer to either side of the 40 mph speed limit zone in the community.
"We don't want to lower the speed limit so low that everybody breaks the speed limit,” said Jason Davidson, NCDOT Division 1 Traffic Engineer. “We want it to be at a point where it's a good balance … and help create an environment of compliance."
The Dare County Sheriff’s Office has added a stepped-up presence in the area as part of the safety effort.
