Manteo – In Swansboro, the beginnings of
a ferry’s keel are being assembled. In Hatteras and Ocracoke, crews are
preparing to break ground on new parking additions and visitor facilities. And
in Manteo, Outer Banks businesspeople and NCDOT officials are laying the
groundwork for brand new passenger ferry service on the Outer Banks to begin
this summer.
At a meeting of the Passenger Ferry Stakeholder’s Committee in
Manteo on Jan. 26, NCDOT’s Ferry Division reported several developments on the
Ocracoke Express passenger ferry project:
- U.S. Workboats is currently assembling the passenger ferry at its
shipyard in Swansboro. The company projects a delivery date for the vessel in
late June 2018
- Crews from A.R. Chesson Construction are preparing to break ground
on parking improvements and visitor facilities at the Hatteras and
Ocracoke-Silver Lake terminals. Construction is set to begin Feb. 5
- Online reservation and ticketing capabilities are being developed
by IT professionals at the N.C. Web Applications
“Things are happening quickly now,” said Ferry Division Director
Harold Thomas. “I think people are going to see all the moving parts coming
together quickly right up until the launch date.”
The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry is a new service from NCDOT
designed to alleviate summertime congestion issues on the existing
Hatteras-Ocracoke car ferry route. Passengers will be able to make a reservation
and walk onto a ferry that will take them into the heart of Ocracoke Village in
just over an hour, bypassing the waits that often occur on the vehicle
ferries.
The $9 million passenger ferry project is being funded by a grant
from the Federal Lands Access Program and an appropriation from the General
Assembly. NCDOT is hoping to launch the service in mid-summer.
Contact: Tim Hass
Phone: 252.423.5109
email: tdhass@ncdot.gov