North Carolina Ferry System

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North Carolina Ferry System Ferries have played a vital role to residents and visitors of Eastern North Carolina and they are an important part of our coastal history. Today, the N.C.
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The Official page of the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Ferry Division, which extends over seven routes, has 21 ferries and employs over 400 workers. Ferry transportation began in the mid-1920's when Captain J.B. (Toby) Tillett established tug and barge service across Oregon Inlet along North Carolina's Outer Banks. Department of Transportation's Ferry Division extends over seven routes, has 21 ferries and employs over 400 workers. The operations are supported by a full service shipyard, dredge, tugs, barges, and other support vessels. Each year, North Carolina ferries transport over 1.1 million vehicles and more than 2.5 million passengers across five separate bodies of water - the Currituck and Pamlico sounds and the Cape Fear, Neuse and Pamlico rivers. Posts to this site, in connection with the transaction of public business, are subject to the N.C. Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. It is the policy of NCDOT and the NC Ferry System not to delete, alter or otherwise censor any posts to this page. Nor is it our policy to prohibit anyone from posting. We welcome the vibrant exchange of ideas, opinions, and thoughts. However, we do monitor all our social media sites and we do make exception for posts that use profanity or are personally threatening. Posts containing such content are subject to removal and the user may be blocked from our sites.

Nor'easter Update: N.C. 12 is still closed from Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe due to overwash and damage to the road. No a...
10/22/2026

Nor'easter Update: N.C. 12 is still closed from Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe due to overwash and damage to the road. No additional road damage today. But NCDOT crews have not been able to begin dune reconstruction at the Pea Island Visitor Center due to tide conditions. NCDOT does not have a timeline for when the road will reopen. NCDOT's emergency ferries between Rodanthe-Stumpy Point and Hatteras-Ocracoke are running. (More info here ➡️https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2026/2026-10-22-ncdot-ferry-emergency-service.aspx. Crews will rebuild dunes as tides allow.

Some sound-side flooding persists in sections of NC12 in Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo. And standing water remains on NC12 from Hatteras Village to Frisco.

NC12 remains open on Ocracoke Island and crews were able to fortify the dunes there today, despite some minor overwash.

Today's pics come from the ground and an overhead drone on NC12 at the Pea Island Visitor Center.

Good Thursday morning! NC12 remains closed from the Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe, due to the nor'easter (now named Subtro...
10/22/2026

Good Thursday morning! NC12 remains closed from the Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe, due to the nor'easter (now named Subtropical Storm Josephine). The road sustained more pavement damage and lost additional protective dunes Wednesday night at the Pea Island Visitor Center. There is no timeline for reopening the road.

Do not travel in this area of NC12. It's unsafe. For current travel conditions, check back here and https://bit.ly/3EPG24X

Additional high tide cycles and continued ocean overwash must subside before NCDOT can fully assess damage to NC12 at the visitor center and determine what repairs will be needed to restore travel access.

The OBX is still in the grip of a stubborn nor'easter & ocean waves are continuing to flood the road, making additional work at the Pea Island Visitor Center extremely difficult. Forecasts show impacts from Josephine persisting into the weekend, even as the storm moves away from the coast.

As tides allow today, state transportation crews will begin rebuilding the protective sand dune to protect NC12 from further damage at the Pea Island Visitor Center.

On Ocracoke Island, NC12 remains open and passable. The road did see minor overwash overnight.

TRAVEL SOLUTIONS: NCDOT's Ferry Division activated its emergency ferry route at 5 a.m. Thursday between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point and resumed limited service on its Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry route Wednesday afternoon. Both ferry routes will provide a much-needed transportation link between the OBX and the mainland. This marks the second time in 13 years the emergency ferry has been activated. The last time the route was activated came after the late September nor'easter closed NC12 at the Pea Island Visitor Center. For more information and the emergency & Hatteras ferry schedules go ➡️ https://bit.ly/4eKhOv6.

The six other vehicle ferry routes are operating on their normal schedules. See current ferry schedules ➡️ https://bit.ly/3bWyY6p

Sharing this morning's photos from NC12 at the Pea Island Visitor Center (first five) and from NC 12 on Ocracoke Island (second four).

FERRY & NC 12 UPDATEFULL RELEASENCDOT Emergency Ferry Service Activated Again as Storm Damage Closes N.C. 12 24-hour ser...
10/21/2026

FERRY & NC 12 UPDATE

FULL RELEASE

NCDOT Emergency Ferry Service Activated Again as Storm Damage Closes N.C. 12
24-hour service to begin at 5 a.m. Thursday; Dare County reentry restrictions in place

STUMPY POINT – The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division will begin 24-hour emergency ferry service between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe, to provide a transportation link between Hatteras and the North Carolina mainland while a section of N.C. 12 remains closed.

The emergency route will start at 5 a.m. Thursday on the following schedule:
Rodanthe to Stumpy Point: 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Stumpy Point to Rodanthe: 5 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

On Friday, the route will start at 2 a.m. and will use the following schedule for its remaining operation:

Rodanthe to Stumpy Point: 2 a.m., 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Stumpy Point to Rodanthe: 2 a.m., 5 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The emergency ferry will operate on a three-boat schedule. A one-way trip between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe takes approximately two hours.

The ferry route will again serve as a temporary travel option while N.C. 12 remains closed between the Marc Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe. The road was closed Tuesday evening due to ocean overwash but was then damaged overnight when waves undermined the pavement at the Pea Island Visitor Center.

This is the second time since late September that the emergency ferry route has been activated. The emergency route was used after the September nor’easter damaged pavement on N.C. 12 at the Pea Island Visitor Center.

The Stumpy Point ferry terminal is at 100 Log Storage Road, Stumpy Point. The Rodanthe ferry terminal is at 23170 Myrna Peters Road, Rodanthe.

The schedule and updates will also be published on NCDOT’s Ferry Facebook and N.C. 12 Facebook social media pages.

Dare County’s emergency reentry restrictions are in place for all departures to Rodanthe. That means that ONLY essential personnel, permanent Dare County residents, critical business vendors, nonresident Hatteras Island property owners and employees of Hatteras Island businesses will be allowed onto Rodanthe-bound ferries. Law enforcement will be onsite to ensure compliance with reentry restrictions.
Visitors will NOT be allowed onto Rodanthe-bound ferries at this time.

Departures to Stumpy Point will be loaded on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority loading given to vendors returning from their deliveries. Ferry space is limited, and travelers should expect long lines and significant delays. To help preserve space for passenger vehicles on other trips, bulk deliveries of petroleum products and propane will be limited to the 5 p.m. departure from Stumpy Point and the 2 a.m. departure from Rodanthe.

Work Continues on N.C. 12
At the Pea Island Visitor Center, state transportation crews are restoring more than 1,800 feet of the highway’s protective dunes that have been lost to ocean overwash in recent days. Crews are using heavy equipment to clear significant amounts of blown sand covering sections of N.C. 12 in the nearby Canal Zone. Crews estimated Wednesday that about 800 feet of N.C. 12 pavement was damaged by ocean water that undermined the road Tuesday night.

There is no timeline for reopening the road on Pea Island.

Additional high tide cycles and continued ocean overwash must subside before NCDOT can fully assess damage to N.C. 12 and determine what repairs will be needed to restore travel access.
Ocracoke and Ferries Update

N.C. 12 on Ocracoke remains open.
N.C. Ferry officials on Wednesday afternoon resumed limited service on the Hatteras-Ocracoke route. The limited service will continue Thursday on the following schedule:
Hatteras to Ocracoke: 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m., and midnight
Ocracoke to Hatteras: 7:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., and 4 a.m.

NCDOT continues to provide ferry service on the routes between Ocracoke Village and the mainland (Cedar Island and Swan Quarter). Reservations are highly recommended and are available online or by calling 1-800-BY-FERRY.

The Bayview-Aurora, Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach, and Southport-Fort Fisher routes are operating on their normal schedules. Service is also suspended on the Currituck-Knotts Island ferry route, due to the storm's impacts.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.

Hello! Hatteras-Ocracoke and Currituck-Knotts Island ferry routes remain suspended, due to impacts from the nor'easter, ...
10/21/2026

Hello! Hatteras-Ocracoke and Currituck-Knotts Island ferry routes remain suspended, due to impacts from the nor'easter, which damaged NC12 pavement near the Pea Island Visitor Center overnight.

We will send notifications when it is safe to resume service on the Hatteras-Ocracoke and Currituck-Knotts Island routes.

The NC Ferry Systems' five other routes, including the routes between Ocracoke and the mainland (Cedar Island & Swan Quarter) are operating on their normal schedules.

For current schedules, check our website: https://bit.ly/3bWyY6p, stay tuned to these social media accounts, or sign up to receive schedule changes by text or email through the Ferry Information Notification System: https://bit.ly/46NZpu4.

UPDATE: NC12 is still closed from Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe. NEW: NC12 has sustained ~800 feet of pavement damage...
10/21/2026

UPDATE: NC12 is still closed from Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe. NEW: NC12 has sustained ~800 feet of pavement damage at the Pea Island Visitor Center (the area of the road closure). In total, 1,800 feet of protective dunes have now been lost at the visitor center, as continuous waves have pounded the dune and undermined NC12. Also, in the area of the road closure significant blown sand is present in the canal zone.

Please avoid travel on NC12 on Pea Island. It's unsafe.

Dare County's state of emergency for Hatteras Island remains in place and visitors are not permitted to enter Hatteras Island at this time.

Today, NCDOT crews are assessing pavement damage to NC12 at the Pea Island Visitor Center and fortifying undamaged areas with protective sand on the road shoulder and rebuilding the protective dunes.

Further south ➡️ NC12 is open on Ocracoke Island. No overwash has been reported there.

Check back here for updates and get real-time travel updates at DriveNC.gov.

⚓ Good Tuesday morning! NC Ferry service has resumed on the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter & Ocracoke-Cedar Island routes. Both r...
10/20/2026

⚓ Good Tuesday morning! NC Ferry service has resumed on the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter & Ocracoke-Cedar Island routes. Both routes take reservations. However, if the reservations are booked, you can wait in the standby lane at the ferry terminal. Standby customers will be able to board if someone without a reservation doesn't show up 30 minutes before the scheduled departure.

Ferry service is also operating on normal schedules for the Bayview-Aurora, Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach, and Southport-Fort Fisher routes.

Service on the Hatteras-Ocracoke and Currituck-Knotts Island routes is suspended, due to impacts from the nor'easter. NC12 remains closed on Pea Island since Monday evening, due to ocean overwash.

For ferry schedule updates, please visit our website➡️https://bit.ly/3bWyY6p

or

Sign up for text or email alerts on schedule changes through the Ferry Information Notification System➡️https://bit.ly/46NZpu4

Good Tuesday morning! NC12 remains closed from the Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe, due to overwash from the offshore n...
10/20/2026

Good Tuesday morning! NC12 remains closed from the Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe, due to overwash from the offshore nor'easter.

Please avoid driving in the area. The flooded road makes conditions unsafe for travel. Never drive around the road closure barricades. And NCDOT crews are working hard to restore NC12. Please let them work.

NC12 was closed Monday about 6 p.m. when ocean overwash breached the protective dunes, flooding the highway at the Pea Island Visitor Center.

NC12 has not sustained any pavement damage at the visitor center. But crews today will be repairing and replacing the protective sand along the road's shoulder and then building back about 1,000 feet of protective dunes lost overnight at the visitor center. Crews report they are making progress, but much will depend on this high tide cycles.

NC12 remains open on Ocracoke Island. No overwash was reported on Hatteras or Ocracoke, but transportation crews today are clearing sand blown on NC12 on both islands.

Check back here for updates or visit DriveNC.gov for real-time road conditions.

NC12 is now CLOSED from Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe, due to impacts from the offshore nor'easter. Significant dune ...
10/19/2026

NC12 is now CLOSED from Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe, due to impacts from the offshore nor'easter. Significant dune erosion & overwash at the Pea Island Visitor Center have made travel unsafe. Never drive through floodwaters. Check DriveNC.gov for travel updates.

⛴️ Good morning! Due to the nor'easter lashing the coast, NC Ferry service is suspended for the routes to and from Ocrac...
10/19/2026

⛴️ Good morning! Due to the nor'easter lashing the coast, NC Ferry service is suspended for the routes to and from Ocracoke, and Currituck-Knotts Island. We will alert you when we resume normal ferry operations on those routes. For route status, check our website ➡️ https://bit.ly/3bWyY6p
Sign up to receive ferry schedule alerts via text or email through our Ferry Information Notification System▶️https://www.ncdot.gov/travel-maps/ferry-tickets-services/Pages/ferry-information-notification-system.aspx

🆕 Good Monday morning! NC12 is open and passable from Marc Basnight Bridge to Ocracoke. But the nor'easter continues to ...
10/19/2026

🆕 Good Monday morning! NC12 is open and passable from Marc Basnight Bridge to Ocracoke. But the nor'easter continues to pound the coast with intense wind and waves. NCDOT crews are reporting coastal erosion all along NC12. High water signs are up in the Canal Zone, & we're seeing blown sand at the Pea Island Visitor Center and in Hatteras and Ocracoke. The National Weather Service's coastal flood & high wind advisories remain in place for much of coastal NC.

🚗 If you must travel on NC12 or communities along the Pamlico Sound, please use extra caution. Never drive through flooded roads & don't drive around road closure signs. Also, please pay attention on NC12. NCDOT crews are hauling sand stockpiles & rebuilding protective dunes in the Canal Zone and Pea Island Visitor Center. Let's keep everyone safe. And before heading out, please visit DriveNC.gov for real-time travel updates.

🆘 DARE CO'S STATE OF EMERGENCY & MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER remain in place for Hatteras Island visitors. Visitors are not permitted to enter Hatteras Island at this time and will not be allowed to return until the storm system has passed and NC 12 is no longer threatened by ocean overwash. Need more? Visit Dare Co.'s website ▶️ https://bit.ly/4ypwgQb

🌬️ The storm is forecast to continue well into the week, and NCDOT crews will continue monitoring high tide cycles, clearing sand & rebuilding protective dunes.

Address

8550 Shipyard Road
Manns Harbor, NC
27953

Telephone

+18002933779

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