As the COVID-19 pandemic makes its way into the rearview mirror, Onslow County residents are more than ever ready to get back to travel; however, new obstacles have emerged.
Inflation along with rising gas prices.
Gas prices in North Carolina are up nearly two dollars since last year, according to the AAA. AAA reports that as of June 17, the North Carolina average is $4.63 per gallon, up from last year’s average of $2.88. The current average in Jacksonville is $4.54, up from $2.80 a year ago.
Rising gas prices are deterring many residents from traveling as fares to and from their destinations are nearly double what they were last summer.
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“A lot of people are doing more recreation, as we call them,” said Salem Clark, Onslow County tourism manager. “So they travel around in their community or somewhere nearby. So if you think of it in terms of our area, they are probably doing more local things like visiting our beaches, visiting Swansboro, shopping in a relatively small area. close distance and try more local stuff.”
New Jacksonville station provides “convenience” and accessibility
The Jacksonville station has finally opened after 11 years of planning, including two years of construction, and Jacksonville Transportation Services Director Anthony Prince said the station is modeled after a 1940s railroad depot.
“We invested a lot in the aesthetics of the places where people would go, where we wanted them to feel comfortable and have a sense of place,” Prince said.
Previous coverage:As the Jacksonville station nears completion, here’s what to expect
He said the goal of the Jacksonville station is to have as many transportation operations as possible in one place, increasing mobility across the board.
He said that while Jacksonville had service, people, and things to do, they had nowhere to do them and mostly worked on the street. He said that whether you get in a taxi, your family drops you off, or you take an Amtrak, you can come to this one place and choose what you want to use.
“This is what we call the community welcome mat, because for many people it will be an introduction to Jacksonville,” Prince said.
“The main goal of the facility is to bring together as many public transit options as possible in one location, and we feel like we did this because we have Jacksonville Transit, Onslow United Transit, Amtrak and Greyhound in one facility. The benefit to the community, of course, is that it is more convenient for them to switch between these modes of transport, and this greatly expands their possibilities of movement.”
Prince said that while the Amtrak Expressway has been in Jacksonville for quite some time, having it here at Jacksonville station offers the kind of hospitality the city has been waiting for…
