Ferries Coverage

NC 12 closed on Ocracoke Island due to coastal storm, high surf

As many families prepare to head to the beach for Easter weekend, portions of N.C. Highway 12 on the north side of Ocracoke Island are closed until Saturday.

WRAL staff

Hatteras to Ocracoke Ferry feeling pinch from less funding

This summer, the Hatteras to Ocracoke ferry fuel budget evaporated by the end of the fiscal year. It's operating on a reduced summer schedule.

Budget battle means rough seas for NC's most popular ferry route

The ongoing budget battle in Raleigh is creating waves on our coast.The Hatteras to Ocracoke Ferry is usually the state's hottest route, carrying about 250,000 people a year. The route is an economic lifeline to residents in the tiny town. But this summer, that lifeline is on life support.

Sarah Krueger, WRAL Investigates reporter

Tar Heel Traveler: A trip to the other side, Sans Souci Ferry

Sans Souci Ferry is one of the last remaining two-car ferries in the state and nation. Vehicles are guided by cables as it plows the Cashie River in Windsor (Bertie Co.). The trip to the other side takes just five minutes.

Bald Head Island ferry to be sold to private equity group, ending state push to purchase

The wealthy family that once owned most of Bald Head Island announced a deal Tuesday to sell nearly all of its remaining island holdings, including the ferry system that represents the only way to and from the island.

Travis Fain, state government reporter

New 'Ocracoke Express' passenger ferry launches for 2022 season

Beginning May 17, a new ferry deemed the Ocracoke Express will be available to transport passengers on a 70-minute trip between Hatteras and Silver Lake Harbor in Ocracoke Village.

NC Auditor suggests Cooper administration tried to sway Bald Head Island deal

State Auditor Beth Wood is questioning gubernatorial appointments to a commission deciding the sale of a ferry system.

Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter

State officials want better idea of how much Bald Head Island ferry is worth before approving deal

An obscure state government commission that has to sign off before local governments and authorities across the state borrow money is tied up in knots over a ferry.

State faces internal squabbling, competing bid in Bald Head Island ferry sale

Four boats, three political appointments, two deals and one island: A back and forth over buying a Bald Head Island ferry system from a billionaire's family spins a tangled web in state government. "This is a mess," the chairwoman of the Bald Head Island Transportation Authority says.

Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter

Researchers eye alternative energy to power state ferries

North Carolina's ferry system has a fleet of 21 vehicle ferries, making it either tied with Washington as the largest state system in the country or the second largest - it really depends the measuring stick - and researchers are now looking at how to more sustainably power those vessels' near-constant runs.

Kip Tabb, Coastal Review Online

Ferry system assisting in Ocracoke Island mandatory evacuation

The Department of Transportation's Ferry Division is assisting with evacuations from Ocracoke Island as the possible impact from Hurricane Isaias approaches.

NC Department of Transportation

Stay-at-home traffic not enough to keep San Souci ferry moving

The San Souci ferry in Bertie County crosses the Cashie River at the end of Woodard Road. The ferry has been making that crossing for nearly a century. But Saturday will the last day; the North Carolina Department of Transportation is ending the operation.

The very last ride: DOT cuts mean end to two cable ferries in eastern NC

The San Souci ferry in Bertie County crosses the Cashie River at the end of Woodard Road. The ferry has been making that crossing for nearly a century. But Saturday will the last day; the North Carolina Department of Transportation is ending the operation.

Richard Adkins, WRAL photojournalist

Ferry system to increase service on Hatteras-Ocracoke route starting Wednesday

As Outer Banks communities prepare to reopen to visitors this weekend, the N.C. Ferry Division will increase service between Hatteras and Ocracoke to 15 departures per day.

NC Department of Transportation

Doing it wrong: Truck cab takes a dip off end of Bald Head Island ferry

A photograph of a tractor-trailer making the trip between the North Carolina coast and Bald Head Island was making the rounds on social media Monday.

Ferry drinking, movie theater provision stripped from alcohol bill

"People aren't sure about us being in the alcohol business," a Senate sponsor says of the new Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry.

Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter

House seeks - again - to end ferry tolls

For the third time in as many years, House lawmakers are trying to get rid of tolls on the state's ferries - and Senate leaders are once again pushing back.

Laura Leslie

Money to replace North Carolina's aging ferry fleet could dock drivers

Roughly half of the state's ferries are more than 20 years old, but money to replace the aging fleet is hard to come by due to recent transportation funding changes. Options include tolling ferries or taking money used for other projects.

Mark Binker