Most ferry routes will run abbreviated schedules over the holidays

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division will run an amended schedule at its Cedar Island-Ocracoke, Swan Quarter-Ocracoke, Hatteras Inlet, Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach, Southport-Fort Fisher and Currituck-Knotts Island routes Dec. 24-27 as a costs savings measure.

The only route that will not have an amended holiday schedule is Bayview-Aurora, because of the need to provide service for workers at the PCS phosphate plant.

The abbreviated schedules will save the Ferry Division an estimated $18,535 in fuel costs and $31,228 in labor. The decision to run a changed holiday schedule was based on previous years’ traffic data.

These amended schedules will take place Dec. 24, 25, 26 and 27 on the Pamlico Sound routes; Dec. 24, 25 and 26 on the Hatteras Inlet, Neuse River and Currituck Sound routes and Dec. 24 and 25 on the Cape Fear River route.

The amended schedules are as follows:

Currituck-Knotts Island (Dec. 24-26)
Departing Currituck at 9 a.m., 11 and 1 p.m.; and
Departing Knotts Island at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.

Hatteras Inlet (Dec. 24-26)
Departing Hatteras at 6 a.m., 8, 10, noon, 2 p.m., 4, 6, 8, 10 and midnight; and
Departing Ocracoke at 7 a.m., 9, 11, 1 p.m., 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 p.m.

Cedar Island-Ocracoke (Dec. 24-27)
Departing Cedar Island at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and
Departing Ocracoke at 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach (Dec. 24-26)
Departing Cherry Branch at 5:05 a.m., 5:45, 6:45, 7:45, 8:45, 9:45, 10:25, 11:15, 12:15 p.m., 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:45, 5:45, 6:45, 7:45, 8:45, 9:45, 11:30 and 12:45 a.m.; and
Departing Minnesott Beach at 5:25 a.m., 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:15, 10:05, 10:45, 11:45, 1:15 p.m., 2:15, 3:15, 4:15, 5:15, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:15, 10:30 and 12:15 a.m.

Southport-Fort Fisher (Dec. 24-25)
Departing Southport at 7 a.m., 8:30, 10, 11:30, 1 p.m., 2:30 and 4 p.m.; and
Departing Fort Fisher at 7:45 a.m., 9:15, 10:45, 12:15 p.m., 1:45, 3:15 and 4:45 p.m.

Swan Quarter-Ocracoke (Dec. 24-27)
Departing Swan Quarter at 10 a.m.; and
Departing Ocracoke at 7 a.m.

For updated information about ferry schedules, call 1-800-293-3779 (BY-FERRY) and press 1 or sign-up to receive messages on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/ncdot_ferry.