A beautiful, breezy day in Kitty Hawk was complimented by the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Wright Brothers Multiuse Pathway. On October 1st, 2004, officials, volunteers, and enthusiasts gathered at Wind Grass Circle Park to usher in a new era and honor a past one.

Kitty Hawk Mayor Harris has been a driving force in restoring this historic landmark and creating a beautiful, safe and fun public area for the townspeople. It reestablishes the old sound front route used to connect Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head and enables pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely along residential byways and multiuse paths from Southern Shores to Nags Head. The path is also designed to support emergency equipment and provide an emergency route to authorized personnel when other routes are totally inaccessible.

The path is located along Kitty Hawk Bay between West Tateway Road and Beacon Drive and is open from dawn till dusk. The view of Kitty Hawk Bay is much the same as it was for the Wright Brothers. Windgrass Park is an excellent place to put in your kayak or canoe, relax on the deck, or walk your dog. Parking is provided at Windgrass Circle Park, and a few places along Beacon Drive.

The Wright Brothers used this route extensively on their visits to the Outer Banks. They transported their equipment from the small pier that was then located on Moore Shore Road near Beacon Street to their camp in Kill Devil Hills. They may have been the first to bicycle over this roadway. On their third visit to the area, they brought a specially built bicycle with wide tires that enabled them to ride on the loose sandy roadway between their camp at Kill Devil Hill and the village of Kitty Hawk to pick up supplies and mail.

From 1750 to 1963, the sound route was the main thoroughfare for small settlements from Nags Head to Currituck Inlet near Penny’s Hill. When the Beach Road was paved, the sound front road fell into disuse. In 1963 Dare County closed the road and allowed Kill Devil Hills to build a subdivision on it. Mayor Bill Harris said it was one of the saddest days of his life. He recalled fond childhood memories of biking down the path, and swimming and fishing in the shallow sound waters off Kitty Hawk Bay.

In the 1980’s Kitty Hawk Town Council gave away the Town’s right of access to the pathway. Intense development of the area and the resultant flooding of the bypass and the beach road reminded the present Town Council of the value of the historic route. Town Attorney Norman Shearin, acting at the direction of Town Council, fought for and reinstated the Town’s right of access.

The multiuse path is a private/public/public partnership. The cost of the path $100,000 was paid for by the Visitors Bureau ($50,000), BD&A Construction ($25,000) and the Town of Kitty Hawk ($25,000). Carol McCormick, representing the Visitors Bureau, said the project benefits children, residents and visitors. Biking has a great economic impact on the area, appeals to a growing segment of the population and encourages the use of alternate types of transportation. Representing BD&A Construction, Mr. Uppalapati, said his company welcomed the opportunity to give something back to the community and he hoped many of the townspeople would come out and enjoy the path along Kitty Hawk Bay. Warren Judge said the County’s vision is to provide bike paths from Duck to Nags Head to Stumpy Point, connecting all the communities.

The ribbon cutting Ceremony was followed by a one mile walk sponsored by Healthy North Carolina, (www.healthync.com) a coalition of various health organizations including Outer Banks Hospital, Regional Medical Center, Dare County Parks & Recreation and Dare County Health Department. Stretching exercises preceeded the walk and door prizes were presented to everyone that participated.