As long as I can remember there has been the one-lane- wooden pontoon bridge that connected the mainland with the little island of Sunset Beach, North Carolina. Built in 1961, the five-hundred foot floating bridge was the only one of its kind that remained in operation on the east coast. The locals in the area felt that this bridge kept the island from becoming another “Grand Strand.” The bridge opened at the top of every hour, from 7a.m. till 9p.m. daily for the boats to pass through. People did not appear to mind the wait as they took in the beauty of the marsh and the island around them. As Sunset Island began to grow with more visitors and cottages being built, the traffic over the little bridge increased to about 7,000 vehicles a day. Despite a great deal of controversy, the swing bring was replaced in 2010 with a new sixty-five foot arch bridge. This is the view of the Intercoastal Waterway and marsh looking north from the top of the bridge. As I stand on the bridge looking out, I can’t help to feel that something very valuable has been lost forever…..
Kay
