Adjusted Schedules for the Swann Quarter Ferry to help Vendors

From our folks at Mann's Harbor:

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is temporarily adjusting departure times at its Swan Quarter-Ocracoke route, beginning Thursday, Jan. 24, to assist vendors supplying essential commodities to Ocracoke with adequate turn-around time.

The adjusted departures will be:

·         Changing the 7 a.m. departure to 6:30 a.m. and the 12:30 p.m. departure to 1 p.m. from Ocracoke; and

·         Changing the 10 a.m. departure from Swan Quarter to 9:30 a.m.

The adjusted schedule will be:

·         Departing from Swan Quarter at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 and 10; and

·         Departing from Ocracoke at 6:30 a.m., 10, 1 p.m. and 7.

Residents of Ocracoke and vendors will be given toll exempt status until the Hatteras ferry channel resumes operations. The division is monitoring traffic and will make additional changes if needed.

Operations at the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route were suspended Jan. 18 until further notice, due to the ferry channel at markers #9 and #10 becoming completely shoaled over and impassable. The channel falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has hired a contractor to dredge the channel. Work is under way, but it could take several weeks of dredging before the channel is safe for ferry operations to resume.

For more information travelers can sign-up to receive messages on Twitter  or visit the N.C. 12 Facebookpage.

Quick Update - Sandbags and Ferries

Sandbag installation is now complete along the part of N.C. 12 just north of Mirlo Beach that was damaged during Hurricane Sandy and a pair of Nor'easters last year. The final 41 sandbags were put into place on Monday, Jan. 21, connecting the section of sandbags from the north end to the section at the south end. The total number of sandbags placed along this section of N.C. 12 is 2,048.

Crews resumed hauling sand in this morning to cover the sandbags and rebuild the dunes. Weather permitting, this should be complete Wednesday afternoon.

While the work is under way, the highway remains open to traffic.
 

FERRY INFORMATION

Operations at the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route have been suspended until further notice. The shoaling situation at Hatteras Inlet has made the route impassable.

The Ferry Division added more departures to its Swan Quarter-Ocracoke route, beginning Saturday, Jan. 19, to assist Ocracoke residents and vendors. This schedule, with toll-exempt status for residents and vendors, will continue until the Hatteras ferry channel resumes operations. The schedule is as follows:

• Departing Swan Quarter at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 and 10; and
• Departing Ocracoke at 7 a.m., 10, 12:30 p.m. and 7.

The Ferry Division continues to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard to assess the situation daily. The USACE has issued a dredging contract to address the channel shoaling, and work is under way, but several weeks could pass before dredging alleviates the problem.

Out of the mouths (and artistic eyes) of babes

Priceless.

We love you too, Jack!

One of several thank you letters

posted inside the temporary ferry terminal on the Rodanthe side of the emergency ferry route.  From Hatteras Elementary School

Updates: Temporary Bridge, Rodanthe and The Emergency Ferry

What's Happened? What's Next?

Paving 
As you may know, paving at the temporary bridge was completed yesterday.  Replacement of guardrail is the only remaining work there and that should begin today or tomorrow.  A temporary signal with a one lane traffic pattern will be in place at the temporary bridge until the guardrail is completed.

Paving of the repaired spans on Bonner Bridge were completed on Monday.
 
In an effort to reduce the length of the closed areas that have to be managed, Dare County is moving the checkpoints south of the temporary bridge.  

All other work with the exception of guardrail at the temporary bridge is complete.

S-Curves
At Rodanthe, sandbag installation continues along the east side of NC 12.  The contractor is working from south to north.  Additionally, removal of damaged pavement is set to begin on Monday. 

Monday Ferry Schedule Note
  
On Monday, Dec. 3, the 10 p.m. emergency ferry departure from Stumpy point to Rodanthe will be delayed so that a davit cable for the lifeboat on the Motor Vessel Hatteras can be replaced.  More details.

New Schedule for the Emergency Ferry

MANNS HARBOR — The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is reducing the total number of runs each day at the Stumpy Point-Rodanthe emergency route from 9 to 8 from each side. The change is to reduce costs and is effective Wednesday, Nov. 28.

The eliminated runs are those with the least amount of traffic and include the 8 p.m. departure from Stumpy Point and the 11 p.m. departure from Rodanthe. Those who use the emergency route are reminded to be patient, as priority status is still in effect.

The Stumpy Point-Rodanthe schedule will be as follows:
•    Departing Stumpy Point at 6 a.m., 8, 10, noon, 2 p.m., 4, 6 and 10 p.m.
•    Departing Rodanthe at 7 a.m., 9, 11, 1 p.m., 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m.

The N.C. Ferry Division will reinstate these runs should travel demand warrant.

Emergency ferry information is available by calling 800-293-3779 (BY-FERRY) and pressing 1, via Twitter,on Facebook  and on the NCDOT.gov NC 12 page.

Thanksgiving

Due to extreme weather conditions, N.C. Department of Transportation crews are unable to complete anticipated repairs to N.C. 12 in Dare County in order to have the road open for Thanksgiving travelers.

“Unfortunately NCDOT crews have been at the mercy of the weather and we are not where we want to be in terms of reopening N.C. 12,” said NCDOT Division Engineer Jerry Jennings. “With recent weather conditions and another forecasted Nor’easter on the way, we will be unable to fully reopen N.C. 12 by Thanksgiving, but are working with the Ferry Division to accommodate the demands of holiday travelers.”

High winds and overwash along N.C. 12 are causing intermittent closures to four-wheel drive access on Pea Island. These closures often occur with very little advanced notice due to rapidly changing weather and surf conditions. When a closure happens, NCDOT must wait for conditions to improve before reopening the route to ensure motorists safety.

Based on current conditions, the route may only be open during low tide. For updated tide information and conditions, visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration webpage. To find out the status of the route, call 511, visit our travel information webpage, or follow NCDOT on Twitter or Facebook.

When weather conditions are not causing closures, the four-wheel drive route is scheduled to be open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Because of hazardous driving conditions, Dare County first responders will escort drivers before dawn and after dusk when the road is accessible to traffic.

Drivers of four-wheel drive vehicles should expect a rough ride, which will include traveling over sand, damaged pavement and some water. On the sandy portions of the route, they will follow lane markers comprised of barrels, cones and/or flags.

NCDOT asks motorists to follow these important safety measures on the four-wheel drive access:
•Only drive four-wheel drive vehicles with a high ground clearance. Cross-over four-wheel drive vehicles that are lower to the ground may get stuck in the rugged terrain;
•If you drive at night, use extreme caution. There will be no lights staged along the route, so your vehicle’s headlights will offer the only way for you to see;
•Drive slowly; 
•Pay close attention to the temporary traffic signals; and
•All four-wheel drive vehicles are encouraged to lower tire pressure to minimize the chances of becoming stuck.

In addition to the four-wheel drive access, NCDOT’s Ferry Division has added extra departures from each side on its Swan Quarter-Ocracoke route beginning Saturday, Nov. 17 through Monday, Nov. 26, to accommodate holiday traffic demand.

The additional departures include: 

• Departing Swan Quarter at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and
• Departing Ocracoke at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

As a reminder, the regular fall schedule on the Pamlico Sound is:

•  Departing Cedar Island and Ocracoke at 7:30 a.m., 10, 1 p.m. and 4;
• Departing Swan Quarter at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; and
• Departing Ocracoke to Swan Quarter at 7 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Ferry reservations can be made online or by calling 800-293-3779 (BY-FERRY) and pressing 2. Ferry information is available via Twitter . To help travelers gauge the amount of traffic waiting to ride the ferry, visit the live webcams Dare County has stationed at Rodanthe and Stumpy Point. The cameras cannot show priority order, but they can offer a real-time look at number of vehicles in line.

More information on N.C. 12 recovery efforts is available on our N.C. 12 webpage and N.C. 12 Facebook page. For the latest details on the emergency ferry route, as well as schedules for our regular ferry routes, call 1-800-BY-FERRY and press 1, or visit the NCDOT Ferry page.

New Ferry on Board!

Yesterday, we cracked a ceremonial bottle of champagne over the bow of the Sound Class Motor Vessel Swan Quarter, the newest addition to the NC Ferry fleet.

Here are some fun ferry facts about this cruiser:

• It's 220-feet long;

• Carries 50 vehicles and 300 passengers on the Pamlico Sound routes from Swan Quarter and Cedar Island to Ocracoke;

•  Built by Orange Shipbuilding of Orange, Texas;

• Delivered to the shipyard in Manns Harbor in late October 2011;

• The new vessel meets the Americans With Disabilities Act by featuring an ADA-compliant elevator;

• Moves 25 percent faster than existing Sound Class boats; 

• Meets Environmental Protection Agency standards for diesel emissions; 

• Is the first of two sister ships that will join the division’s existing four Sound Class ferries;

• Continues the tradition of ferries being affiliated with state universities by showing the Elon University colors and logo.

During the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the Swan Quarter and Cedar Island routes carried more than 91,000 vehicles and 217,000 passengers between Ocracoke.

The new vessel will go into service as soon as it receives its Certificate of Inspection from the U. S. Coast Guard.

See more photos.

NCDOT Now features new ferry,Seeds for Salvo

Check out this week's edition of NCDOT Now - it features the new addition to the Ferry Division's fleet and the Seeds for Salvo project:

It's next Tuesday!

Or maybe sooner!

N.C. 12 Update 10/05/2011 


 The N.C. Department of Transportation will reopen N.C. 12 no later than Tuesday, Oct. 11 after the road has been closed due to the damage caused by Hurricane Irene in August.

 “Our hope is to open before then, but right now we are confident work will be complete on or before the 11th”, said resident engineer Pablo Hernandez.  “We will open to road earlier if we can.”

 At the Rodanthe breach area, crews completed paving the asphalt base for the road patches south of the mid Pea Island breach and began grading the sand for the roadway embankment leading to the southern end of the bridge.

At the temporary bridge location on Pea Island, crews worked all night and into the early hours to set deck panels at the north end of the bridge after it was completely lowered onto the permanent bridge bearing supports.

The southern half of the bridge is in the process of being lowered onto the bearing supports. Crews still need to install six of the 12 bridge bearing supports, anchor the bridge in place and finish installing deck panels; however, the following items are complete at the temporary bridge location:

Piling: all 82 piles driven.
Sheet Piling Bulkhead: all 726 linear feet installed.
Concrete Footings: all 12 footings poured.
Bridge Truss Spans: all 662 linear feet placed.

Ferry Reservation Help

As you can imagine, the NCDOT Ferry Division is overwhelmed with visitors wanting to make, change or cancel reservations to Ocracoke, as well as Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras Village through Ocracoke. We want to share some important information that will help make this process easier for everyone. First, if you're trying to make a ferry reservation online and the words "invalid date" appear, that means that particular run is sold out. No more space is available. Customers are encouraged to try other dates or times for travel. Second, if you need to change or cancel a reservation, please do not email that information to the Ferry Division. Due to the high volume of calls staff is receiving at this time, they are unable to check and response to emails on a regular basis. Instead, customers are urged to call the following numbers for assistance: * Main call center at 1-800-293-2779; * Cedar Island Operations at (252) 225-7411 or (252) 225-3141; and * Ocracoke at (252) 928-5311. These three sites can make changes to reservations. Ferry schedule information is available by calling 800-293-3779 (BY-FERRY) and pressing 1, or via Twitter at www.twitter.com/ncdot_ferry.

N.C. 12 RECOVERY PROJECT UPDATE FOR SEPT. 15

While N.C. 12 south of Nags Head remains closed due to damage caused by Hurricane Irene last month, NCDOT continues to make progress fixing the breaches and areas of over wash in order to improve and reopen the highway.

At the Rodanthe breach area, crews continue to stockpile sand for dune reconstruction and fill sandbags.

At the temporary bridge location on Pea Island, crews continued to drive piles at the north end. Crews also continued to preassemble and sort temporary bridge components. Yesterday afternoon, crews were able to move 4 loads of piles to the south end of the breach.

NCDOT estimates that the roadway could be fully reopened sometime in early October depending on weather conditions between now and then.