From our news services
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ side caster Dredge Merritt today (June 17) began work to clear critical shoaling in Bigfoot Slough, just outside the N.C. Ferry Division’s Ocracoke-Silver Lake Terminal.
The shoaling prompted recent schedule reductions on the Swan Quarter-Ocracoke and Cedar Island-Ocracoke routes.
The dredging operation is expected to take between seven and 10 days, depending on weather and sea conditions.
Upon successful completion, the dredging efforts will result in a deeper, wider channel that will lead to the return of larger sound class ferries to the N.C. Ferry System’s two longest routes. Once the channel is deemed safe, the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes will resume their full summer schedules.
The temporary reduced schedule for the Pamlico Sound ferries, as well as the Hatteras-Ocracoke route, is here.
Real-time updates on weather or mechanical delays on the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes can be found on the Twitter feed @NCFerryPamSound.
