Photo courtesy Bruce Roberts

John Gaskill, son of the last Principal Keeper at Bodie Island, greeted thousands of visitors this summer, a project sponsored by the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society. Bodie Island has been the subject of many newspaper and TV accounts. Nearly 100,000 people have visited this year and the Bodie Island volunteers have opened the lower portion (no climbing) of the lighthouse to over 35,000!

Virginia Toll Road Opens
Chesapeake Expressway
Summer 2001
Chesapeake

Officials in Chesapeake, Virginia announced the opening of a new four lane Toll Road thru Chesapeake in time for Memorial Day Weekend.

The 16 mile highway known as The Chesapeake Expressway connects Interstate 64 around Norfolk with North Carolina's new five lane highway 168 to the Outer Banks.

The new toll road incorporates Virginia's first "Smart Tag" electronic toll collection system for frequent travelers. This new open road technology allows Smart Tag users to go through dedicated toll lanes at 45 mph.

Tolls range from $2.00 each way for a two axle vehicle and $3.00 for three axle vehicles up to a maximum of $6.00 for 6 axels. A discount program offers savings to frequent travelers which may lower costs to as little as $.050 depending upon the options selected.

For further information and questions about the Chesapeake Expressway or the Discount Program, you are asked to contact:

Chesapeake Expressway
168 Toll Plaza Road
Chesapeake, VA 23322
Hours of Operation: 8:30 am - 5 pm
Monday - Friday
Phone: (757) 204-0010
Fax: (757) 204-0015

Old Business 168 (the Battlefield Blvd. Exit off I-64) in Virginia is still open and available for those seeking to avoid the toll or who need fuel and other services.

Lighthouse Tour

Driving Directions to all North Carolina's Lighthouses
Cheryl Roberts
ANNOUNCEMENT
MOREHEAD CITY, NC

Most people visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina want ot visit at least one of the lighthouses. The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society has prepared a Driving Tour from north to south along coastal North Carolina.

Of the existing towers you have a choice of seven lighthouses to visit, and you can see the ruins of an eighth light. Theses lighthouses are so interesting days can be spent in the surrounding area of each one. You are invited to visit a lighthouse soon.

Outer Banks At A Glance

Staff Report
FACTS
OUTER BANKS, NC

Here's where to find the Outer Banks basics:

The stairs of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse are showing signs of stress from salt air exposure and the wear and tear of many footsteps on a system designed for one or two lighthouse keepers climbing each day. Engineers who have studied the stairs applaud the original (1870) "designers, fabricators and builders responsible for this stair. They deserve credit for a stair system that has provided decades of satisfactory service in an aggressively harsh environment. Certainly few modern designers assume a life span for their new projects comparable to the age of these stairs."

Ironwork repair at several American Lighthouses has been ongoing for decades for the same problems being encountered at Cape Hatteras. Coupled with delayed repairs within the National Park Service due to fund cuts over the years, the backlog of needed repairs is evident in the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

So, what's the solution? Well, the park service is still working on it. A load test will be done in October and from there, a final solution will be decided. We now know that the stairs will be closed for several months. This inconvenience would have come at some time, and it is now.

Photo courtesy Bruce Roberts

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National Park Service Outer Banks Group Superintendent Lawrence Belli announced today that a contract has been awarded to Pond & Company of Atlanta, Georgia, to perform load testing on the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stairs. Testing work will begin in approximately two weeks and be completed by mid-October.

Pond & Company recommended load testing after an inspection of the lighthouse stairway in June 2001. "After the load test is completed we will be in a much better position to look at long-term repair options," stated Belli. "We have received repair recommendations ranging from temporary bracing to replacement of the stairway. We are going to take this process one step-at-a-time to ensure that we are making the best decision for the lighthouse and our visiting public." Pond & Company is an architectural and engineering contractor with the National Park Service Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia.

Three of the eight stair flights in the lighthouse will be tested. Each tread of the three flights will be tested up to 50 lbs assuming the flight tested shows no sign of imminent failure or excessive deflection. The railing post bases and the stringer connection nuts under the treads below the railing posts will be cleaned and re-coated to prevent any continued rusting. "The lighthouse will remain closed to climbing by the public for the rest of this year," stated Belli. "The reopening date will be determined by which long-term repair option is selected, based on the results of the load testing."

Although the lighthouse will remain closed, the site continues to be open to park visitors for viewing of the lighthouse and visiting the light station grounds and visitor facilities. Due to safety concerns, the National Park Service closed the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to climbing by the public on June 11, 2001, when a small (3 ½" x 2 ½" x 5/8"), relatively heavy, support segment from the cast iron, spiral stairway dislodged and fell. Although the lighthouse was open to the public at the time, the falling segment did not strike any visitors. The stairway system in the lighthouse is a complex design, repairs of which must be taken in context with the structure's National Historic Landmark status. Over 200,000 visitors per year visit the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, constructed on North Carolina's Outer Banks in 1870.
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The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society (OBLHS), a private, non-profit, all-volunteer organization, advocates the preservation of the history and artifacts of the U.S. Lighthouse Service and urges the National Park Service to take a direct path to discerning the problems, communicating them to the public, and swiftly making repairs. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a tremendously popular destination for young and old alike from all over the world. Climbing the stairs is a memorable experience. It should be remembered that the U.S. Lighthouse Service, the original builders of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, expected keepers to greet visitors and open the lighthouses to them as much as possible.