RALEIGH — Traveling on one of North Carolina’s ferries is about to get easier for passengers with limited mobility, thanks to funding through NCDOT’s Public Transportation Division and Ferry Division.

 At its September meeting, the N.C. Board of Transportation approved $622,880 through the Public Transportation Division’s New Freedom Program that will enable the Ferry Division to install an elevator on the Motor Vessel Pamlico. The Ferry Division will provide $155,720 towards the project, for a total cost of $778,600.

 Currently, passengers with limited mobility on the Motor Vessel Pamlico can only access the lower level lounge on the ship. This project will enable passengers with mobility limitations to access the second floor lounges of the vessel during the 2.5-hour ride across the Pamlico Sound between Cedar Island and Ocracoke. The elevator is anticipated to be installed in the spring of 2013.

 The Motor Vessel Pamlico was constructed in 1965 and is scheduled for its United States Coast Guard-required dry docking in spring 2013 for upgrades. The Americans with Disabilities Act-approved elevator will be installed at this time.

 The New Freedom Program is a federally-funded program administered through the Public Transportation Division that provides money for services and facility improvements that address the needs of people with disabilities that go beyond those required by the ADA. Funds are available to support the capital and operating costs of public transportation projects, including ferry travel, that will improve transportation for people with disabilities.

 Since Gov. Bev Perdue took office, the NCDOT Public Transportation Division has awarded more than $436 million in grant funds to local public transportation systems. These grants enable systems to provide people in all 100 counties access to education, job opportunities and health care.

 For more information on grant programs through the Public Transportation Division of NCDOT, as well as transit systems that serve the public throughout the state, visit www.ncdot.gov/nctransit.