Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division are looking for input to help develop its long-range plan that will “chart a course for sustainability and success.”
A survey with a handful of questions is now open online and will be followed by individual surveys for residents and for visitors or seasonal residents.
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The new, 30-year plan is intended to make recommendations for vessel modernization, additions to the fleet and maintenance scheduling as well as consider how the system can better meet the needs of customers, communities, businesses and visitors.
Around 800,000 vehicles, or about 2 million passengers use the 22 ferries that take passengers along seven regular routes across the Currituck and Pamlico sounds as well as the Cape Fear, Neuse and Pamlico rivers. The Division owns 12 ferry terminals and a support fleet that includes a dredge, crane barge, four tugs and three barges. A state-owned shipyard and three field maintenance shops are also integral to the ferry operations.
The ferry system also moves thousands in advance of hurricanes. An emergency route also runs between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe, when N.C. 12 is damaged due to storms and other issues.
