Abbreviated schedules for N.C. ferry routes over the holidays

MANNS HARBOR — The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division will run an amended schedule at its Cedar Island-Ocracoke, Swan Quarter-Ocracoke, Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach, Southport-Fort Fisher and Currituck-Knotts Island routes Dec. 24-26 as a costs savings measure.

The Bayview-Aurora route will not run an amended route, because of the need to provide service for workers at the PCS Phosphate plant and the Hatteras-Ocracoke route will continue running its current abbreviated post-Hurricane Sandy schedule.

The abbreviated schedules will save the Ferry Division an estimated $18,535 in fuel costs and $16,569 in labor. The decision to run a changed holiday schedule was based on previous years’ traffic data. These amended schedules will take place Dec. 24, 25 and 26 at the locations listed.

The amended schedules are as follows:

Currituck-Knotts Island

• Departing Currituck at 9 a.m., 11 and 1 p.m.; and

• Departing Knotts Island at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.

Hatteras Inlet

• Departing Hatteras at 6 a.m., 8, 10, noon, 2 p.m., 4, 6, 8, 10 and midnight; and

• Departing Ocracoke at 5 a.m., 7, 9, 11, 1 p.m., 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 p.m.

Cedar Island-Ocracoke

• Departing Cedar Island at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and

• Departing Ocracoke at 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach

• Departing Cherry Branch at 5:05 a.m., 5:45, 6:45, 7:45, 8:45, 9:45, 10:45, 11:45, 1:15 p.m., 2:15, 3:15, 4:15, 5:25, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:15, 10:15 and 11:45; and

• Departing Minnesott Beach at 5:25 a.m., 6:10, 7:15, 8:15, 9:15, 10:15, 11:15, 12:15 p.m., 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:45, 5:45, 6:45, 7:45, 8:45, 9:45, 10:45 and 12:15 a.m.

Southport-Fort Fisher

• Departing Southport at 7 a.m., 8:30, 10, 11:30, 1 p.m., 2:30 and 4; and

• Departing Fort Fisher at 7:45 a.m., 9:15, 10:45, 12:15 p.m., 1:45, 3:15 and 4:45.

Swan Quarter-Ocracoke

• Departing Swan Quarter at 10 a.m.; and

• Departing Ocracoke at 7 a.m.

For updated information about ferry schedules, call 1-800-293-3779 (BY-FERRY) and press 1 or sign-up to receive messages on Twitter by going to http://www.twitter.com/ncdot_ferry.