Ferry Division will host public meetings on passenger ferry study

Midway through a study on the feasibility of passenger-only ferry service directly between Hatteras and Ocracoke villages, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division will host two public meetings on the topic on Monday, Aug. 31, and Tuesday, Sept. 1.

The meetings will be an open forum, where members of the public can stop by at their convenience and offer questions and comments about the Passenger Ferry Feasibility Study and its findings to Ferry Division officials and representatives from Volkert, the firm conducting the study.

“We’ll be presenting the public with the study’s findings to this point,” said Ferry Division Director Ed Goodwin. “We have several options for the number and types of boats we could start out with, as well as ideas on parking and dock improvements on both sides. We definitely want to get the public’s feedback before we proceed with a plan.”

The scheduled meetings are:

Aug. 31, 5-7 p.m. at the Ocracoke Community Center in Ocracoke.

Sept. 1, 5-7 p.m. at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras village.

The Passenger Ferry Feasibility Study began earlier this year and has included meetings with the public and local stakeholders, as well as a ferry passenger survey and test runs by the Provincetown III, a catamaran-style passenger ferry based out of Boston. The survey is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.