Stay tuned to Twitter for Pamlico Sound ferry run cancellations

Last week, the NC Ferry division modified its Pamlico Sound ferry routes due to maintenance issues and alerted the public via Twitter.

In the last few days, the Division has tweeted that some runs have been canceled due to low water in the Pamlico Sound, said Ferry Division Spokesman Tim Hass in an interview today.

Low water causes problems in the Big Foot Slough area to the west of Ocracoke.

“On Sunday, a boat bumped the bottom there,” he said.

The cancelling of certain ferries wreaks havoc with islanders’ schedules, but it keeps most ferries running so that they don’t have to wholesale cancel all of the long route runs.

“We’re hoping to make as many runs as possible,” Hass said. “It’s sort of day-to-day but it’s better than canceling all trips.”

So, islanders will have to stay tuned to Twitter to find out if runs have been canceled.

The Twitter posts come directly from the various ferry terminals and all of the ferry terminals have their own Twitter feeds.

In the meantime, Hass said the Division has been talking to the Army Corps of Engineers to get the Dredge Merritt to the Slough in a couple of weeks. Right now, it’s in the Hatteras Inlet.

The last time the Merritt dredged the Slough was in September with funding help from Carteret County.