The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is temporarily adjusting departure times at its Swan Quarter-Ocracoke route, beginning Thursday, Jan. 24, to assist vendors supplying essential commodities to Ocracoke with adequate turn-around time. The adjusted departures will be:

Changing the 7 a.m. departure to 6:30 a.m. and the 12:30 p.m. departure to 1 p.m. from Ocracoke; and

Changing the 10 a.m. departure from Swan Quarter to 9:30 a.m.

The adjusted schedule will be:

Departing from Swan Quarter at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.; and

Departing from Ocracoke at 6:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Residents of Ocracoke and vendors will be given toll exempt status until the Hatteras ferry channel resumes operations. The division is monitoring traffic and will make additional changes if needed.

Operations at the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route were suspended Jan. 18 until further notice, due to the ferry channel at markers #9 and #10 becoming completely shoaled over and impassable. The channel falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has hired a contractor to dredge the channel. Work is under way, but it could take several weeks of dredging before the channel is safe for ferry operations to resume.

For more information travelers can sign-up to receive messages on Twitter,or visit the N.C. 12 Facebook page.