Update: Another ferry has been added to the Emergency Ferry Route between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe. This one will start on Monday. It will make unscheduled trips between ferry terminals to help with traffic back-ups.
After crews closed the Bonner Bridge on Tuesday over safety concerns, the NC Ferry System started its emergency ferry route between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe and Ocracoke and Swan Quarter.
Crews started a full schedule of runs on Wednesday between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe.
In order to ease congestion, NCDOT announced Wednesday afternoon that they will be adding an additional round-trip run on Pamlico Sound between Ocracoke and Swan Quarter.
They’re using four 180-foot boats for the route which takes about two hours allowing 760 cars to cross daily.
The new schedule, effective immediately, is as follows:
SWAN QUARTER-OCRACOKE:
- Departing from Stumpy Point: 3:30a.m., 5, 6:30, 8, 9:30, 11, 12:30p.m., 2, 3:30, 5, 9:30, and 11.
- Departing from Rodanthe: 1:30a.m., 6, 7:30, 9, 10:30, noon, 1:30p.m, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, and midnight.
SWAN QUARTER-OCRACOKE: - Departing from Swan Quarter: 10a.m., 1p.m., 4, and 10.
- Departing from Ocracoke: 7a.m., 10, 12:45p.m, and 7.CEDAR ISLAND-OCRACOKE:
- Departing from Cedar Island: 7:30a.m, 10, and 4p.m.
- Departing from Ocracoke: 7:30a.m, 1p.m., and 4.
Loading for the emergency ferry route is on a first come, first served basis. Residents of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands and emergency crews and vendors will have tolls waived on Pamlico Sound Routes between Ocracoke-Cedar Island and Ocracoke Swan Quarter.
In addition, Dare County Emergency Management has issued its emergency route priority loading list to the Ferry Division. The following vehicles will be given priority loading in Stumpy Point and Rodanthe:
- Dare Transport vehicles with labels on the door
- People with documented medical appointments
- FedEx, UPS, and US Postal Service Vehicles
- Maintenace vehicles for onsite restroom facilities
- Medical transport for pharmaceuticals
- School buses for school events
Also, fuel trucks will have designated runs on Tuesdays and Fridays from Stumpy Point at 5 a.m. and from Rodanthe at 4:30 p.m. This will allow more deck space for regular vehicles on the other runs.
For more information, click here.
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