Moving of Historic Lighthouse Opposed

Outer Banks residents protested a $12-million plan to move the historic Cape Hatteras lighthouse from its eroding perch along the Atlantic. Residents of this narrow strip of barrier islands off the coast said a $2-million steel and cement groin should be built instead to stop beach erosion threatening the 198-foot-tall tower. The lighthouse now stands about 120 feet inland, and engineers say it could be toppled by a severe hurricane or a series of strong nor’easters that typically rake local beaches every winter. The Clinton administration has backed the plan to move the 127-year old, spiral-striped lighthouse back about 1,600 feet from the ocean, about the same distance it was when the tower was completed in 1870.