The need for a new bridge connecting mainland Currituck County to the Outer Banks has been talked about and documented for many years.

Now that it’s closer than ever to becoming a reality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the bridge will have“significant environmental impacts” and as a result, is recommending the North Carolina Turnpike Authority re-think its plan to build the $800 million span.

“There are reasons behind this that have not been fully discussed,” EPA environmental scientist Chris Militscher said about the Turnpike Authority’s support of the 7-mile bridge across the Currituck Sound.

EPA is one of many regulatory agencies involved that will need to sign off on permits before construction can start. Because of the process, EPA is now reviewing the project and offering its input.

Perhaps EPA has its reasons to block the bridge, but by looking at the objections raised, it is clear the agency is not fully aware of the progress that’s been made to date. Militscher said environmental issues will need to be addressed before permits from several regulatory agencies are issued.

Fortunately, Militscher acknowledges that EPA’s objections are unlikely to halt the project. But they could force delays. We hope that EPA gets up to speed quickly so that its concerns can be addressed without any further delays.

The need for the proposed $800 million bridge has clearly been identified.

First, N.C. Highway 12 and U.S. 158 have become increasingly congested, particularly during the summer with vacation traffic. Bottlenecks are common, causing delays of up to a couple of hours.

Second, there is a need for another hurricane evacuation route besides the Wright Memorial Bridge for the northern Outer Banks. Bottlenecks and long delays are dangerous when a storm as powerful as Hurricane Floyd or Isabel is knocking at the door.

The proposed bridge would connect the mainland near Aydlett to the Outer Banks in Corolla, easing traffic congestion and shortening the driving time.

This past March, the state Turnpike Authority released its draft environmental impact statement recommending the bridge be built, in conjunction with various transportation upgrades. That was followed in June by the state Legislature’s commitment to fund the bridge.

Ahead is the release of the final environmental impact statement, followed by the state’s Record of Decision, which explains which alternative was chosen and why. Alternatives range from building no bridge at all to simply widening existing highways, to building a bridge and widening the roads.

If there are no further delays, right-of-way acquisition and construction could begin next year and the bridge would open to traffic by late 2014.

Meanwhile, EPA has now entered the picture. The agency is recommending the no-bridge alternative — instead suggesting the widening of U.S. 158 and N.C. 12 — which Militscher said would be cheaper and more environmentally sound.

First, U.S. 158 and the Wright Memorial Bridge have already been widened and still there’s major congestion on weekends, when visitors come and leave. And there are no state funds set aside for the widening of N.C. 12.

Second, the widening of N.C. 12 from Kitty Hawk to Corolla has already been debated and rejected by local residents. In 2004, Southern Shores passed a resolution stating that the town “adamantly opposes the widening of N.C. 12 through Southern Shores and Duck and U.S. 158 from Barco to Kitty Hawk.”

Plus, we wonder why widening N.C. 12 through such a long stretch of narrow land between the ocean and the sound would be better environmentally than building a bridge over the sound from Aydlett to Corolla — as EPA is suggesting.

Another objection raised by EPA official Heinz Mueller is that it would be unwise to build such a costly bridge during economically tight times when discretionary funds are drying up at both the federal and state levels. But that concern has already been addressed by the state Legislature, which provided the funding commitment and recognized the use of tolls to help pay for the project.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are there to help protect our sensitive wetlands and coastal areas from haphazard development. Without them, the very natural treasures that make us such a desirable place to live and welcome visitors could be ruined.

We believe EPA will soon realize that local and state officials have done a thorough job to cover all the angles, including the pluses and minuses of widening N.C. 12. EPA should know that the bridge project has garnered bipartisan support from most local residents, the Currituck Board of Commissioners, and our state lawmakers, Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare, Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, and Gov. Bev. Perdue.

While Highway 12 may have to be widened from Kitty Hawk to Corolla at some point, there seems to be general consensus that the mid-county bridge needs to be built.