Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. 4:01 p.m.
The N.C. Transportation Ferry Division has ceased evening runs between Hatteras and Ocracoke for the next few days so that the a section of the inlet near the Ocracoke basin can be dredged.
The Ferry Division on Monday ended night departures from Hatteras at 5 p.m. and the Ocracoke side at 6:30 p.m. However, an earlier press release had only said that the schedule would be disrupted.
According the the NCDOT Ferry Division’s Twitter feed, the following schedule is in effect.
Temporary schedule for Ocracoke-Hatteras: 4:30 a.m., 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30 p.m., 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30.
Temporary schedule for Hatteras-Ocracoke while the dredge is working: 5 a.m., 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, noon, 1 p.m., 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6.
According to a story Monday (Oct. 31) on the OBX Voice, when dredging began, Ferry Division Deputy Director Jed Dixon said they plan to do the bulk of the work at night with the state’s new pipeline dredge Manteo over the first few days to avoid disrupting the schedule as much as possible.
“The night runs have been canceled because right now, there’s not enough room in the channel for ferries to safely get past the dredge in the dark,” Tim Hass, Ferry Division spokesman explained when contacted late today (Nov. 1). “We’re hoping that by tomorrow or Thursday, there will be enough room in the channel at South Dock (at the north end of Ocracoke) to allow us to use it while the dredge is working at night. At that point, we’ll go back to our regular schedule.”
Hass said all of the dredge work should be done in a week or so.
A press release issued Oct. 27 said the following:
Because of the work and the tides, passengers using the Hatteras-Ocracoke route may experience sporadic service interruptions over the next two weeks. As conditions in the channel continually change, the route schedule could be affected on a day-to-day basis.
Passengers are strongly urged to stay updated on the schedule prior to traveling by checking the Ferry Division twitter feed or by calling the Hatteras terminal at (252) 986-2353, or the Ocracoke terminal at (252) 928-1665.
Also, according to the Ferry Division’s website, due to road construction on U.S. 70/N.C. 12, passengers headed to the Cedar Island terminal might experience travel delays of up to 30 minutes. Please make your plans accordingly.
More information on the ferry service, including the regular schedule for each route, is available on the Department of Transportation’s Ferry website here.
