Towns of Manteo and Nags Head. Observations by those surveyed included traffic congestion at: US 158 and NC 12 at ; the US 158/NC 168 junction in Barco; in Whalebone Junction at the NC 12 intersection with US 64/US 264; at Manns Harbor where four lanes reduce to two lanes, with only one lane accessible for evacuation; and the Lindsay C. Warren Bridge over the Alligator River. Within the PSA, the only observation of congestion occurred at the Lindsay C. Warren Bridge over the Alligator River.

3.2.4.2 Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities No sidewalks or bicycle routes occur along US 64 in the project area. The Creef Cut Wildlife Trail and Sandy Ridge Wildlife Trail (see Figure 3-2) lie within the ARNWR in Dare County. However, there is no pedestrian traffic where the Creef Cut Wildlife Trail intersects US 64 at Milltail Road, and the Sandy Ridge Wildlife Trail is about 2 miles south of US 64 and outside the PSA. West of the PSA, US 64 is a controlled access freeway, with no accommodation for bicycle or pedestrian traffic. East of the PSA, bicycle accommodations have been provided on US 64/US 264 to the , through Manns Harbor and Manteo, including wide shoulders and 54-inch guard rails on the Bridge and the William B. Umstead Bridge, both over Sound.

The NCDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Division has requested the accommodation of bicyclists as a part of the improvements to US 64 between the Town of Columbia in Tyrrell County and the junction with US 264 in Dare County. Useable paved shoulders at least 4 feet wide will provide an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standard bicycle accommodation. Six-foot-wide, paved outside shoulders are proposed for highway components of this project (and 10- foot outside shoulders on a replacement bridge); therefore, bicyclists are accommodated within the currently recommended cross section on US 64 between Columbia and US 264.

The Outer Banks region of Dare County is one of the prime cycling destinations in . NCDOT has partnered with Outer Banks municipalities and tourism agencies to build extensive bicycle facilities, including multi-use paths, wide paved shoulders, side paths and bicycle-safe bridge accommodations. NCDOT has designated three bicycle routes along the Outer Banks. In addition to the above, 3- to 6-foot-wide shoulders and bicycle-safe bridge railings are present on the three US 64/US 264 bridges that connect the mainland with the Outer Banks (Virginia Dare Bridge and William B. Umstead Bridge over ; Washington Baum Bridge over . No designated bicycle routes are in the PSA.

3.2.4.3 Rail, Transit and Airports Rail service is not available in Dare and Tyrrell counties. No fixed route transit or bus service is available in the PSA. Taxi service is available in Columbia and Manteo. Para- transit services are provided by both Tyrrell and Dare counties to service the elderly and handicapped. Some Outer Banks businesses provide vehicles to encourage workers to vanpool to jobs on the Outer Banks. Dare County Regional Airport is a publicly owned,

US 64 Improvements Project (R 2544/5) 3-40 Draft Environmental Impact Statement