NCDOT seeks new study on moving Hatteras-Ocracoke’s South Dock Ferry Terminal to the Pony Pens

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Ferry Division is seeking grant funds for a proposed operational analysis of moving the South Dock ferry terminal for the Hatteras-Ocracoke vehicular ferry to a new location near the Ocracoke Island Pony Pens.

The topic was presented at the Dare County Board of Commissioners’ May 2 meeting, where the Ferry Division asked for local support from the Board in their grant request.

“As part of the grant process, the more letters of support you have shows that the local community supports the [initiative,]” said Catherine Peele, Planning and Development Manager for the NCDOT Ferry Division. “So we have reached out to stakeholders, Dare County, the National Park Service, and anyone in that surrounding area who is affected.”

The potential grant is from the USDOT Maritime Administration America’s Marine Highway Program, and if awarded, the grant would provide a large chunk of the $100,000 required to conduct a thorough analysis of moving South Dock, as well as an additional $200,000 for a similar study that will examine the details of improving the Ferry Division’s Cherry Branch maintenance facility.

In 1991, NCDOT identified six “hot spots” along N.C. Highway 12 in need of extensive maintenance due to continued storm and erosion damage. The future South Dock operational analysis stems from a 2016 NCDOT feasibility study, (and a subsequent 2020 addendum), that examined the best ways to address one of the most vulnerable areas of Ocracoke Island.

The five-mile stretch of highway on the northern end of the island is regularly subjected to ocean overwash and soundside flooding during storms. With a compromised oceanside dune system, and sound and ocean waters adjacent to both sides of the roadway, there are limited options to move the highway in the years ahead.

As such, the study examined seven possible options to address this Ocracoke Island hot spot, ranging from 5-year solutions to 50-year solutions. Options include extensive beach nourishment, creating a new bridge, and moving the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry terminal to literal higher and wider ground.

The 2020 addendum takes a closer look at Alternative Option 7, which is a proposal to create a new ferry terminal six miles north of Ocracoke Village that is approximately one mile south of the Pony Pens.

The initial feasibility study outlined the basic details of moving the South Dock ferry terminal, but now, NCDOT needs more information to have a clearer picture of the costs and work involved, hence the need for a deeper operational analysis study in the future.

“The [initial] study gave a cost estimate for how much it would be to construct, but no information on operations or the impact on the Ferry Division,” said Peele. “We want to look at what kind of dredging would be needed, how long permitting would take, what kind of staffing levels we would need, departure schedules, associated costs with the increase in fuel, maintenance, and general operations. All of these things need to be considered, and we want to make sure that the operational impacts are well documented.”

If awarded, the grant will allow the more detailed study to move forward, and possibly as early as late 2022.

“If we don’t win this grant opportunity, we will need to look at other ways to get this [analysis] funded,” said Peele. “But primarily, our focus is on this grant, which is due June 17.”

The proposed operational analysis will take roughly 12-18 months to complete, and there is no guarantee that the study will show that moving South Dock is a viable option. Even if it does show that the project is feasible, the actual construction of a new ferry terminal near the Pony Pens will likely take years to complete, due to funding, permitting, contracting, and other necessary considerations before the project can begin.

Regardless, an approved grant and a subsequent operational analysis will be an initial step in an effort to address one of N.C. Highway 12’s more vulnerable hot spots, and one of Ocracoke Island’s primary connections to the rest of the world.

“With the increase in storms and sea level rise, and a hotspot on Highway 12 where the road is constantly flooded and washed out, our [South Dock] terminal essentially becomes the terminal to nowhere. You can’t get to Highway 12, which means you can’t get to Ocracoke,” said Peele. “This vulnerability is causing us to think about what we can do going forward, and we are trying to come up with a solution to make South Dock more sustainable in the future.”