Stumpy Point/Rodanthe extra runs begin immediately; the additional runs on Swan Quarter/Ocracoke will begin Tuesday, December 10th.

After consulting with passengers and officials from Dare and Hyde counties, The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division has established additional runs on its Stumpy Point/Rodanthe and Swan Quarter/Ocracoke routes to help increase access to Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands during the closure of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge.

“We are always monitoring traffic flow and consulting with local stakeholders to determine how we can better serve our passengers,” said Ferry Division Deputy Director Jed Dixon. “These additional runs will hopefully alleviate some of the hardships the Bonner Bridge closure has created.”

Beginning immediately, the Ferry Division is adding departures from Stumpy Point at 11 p.m. and 3:30 a.m., and from Rodanthe at midnight and 1:30 a.m. The new schedule for the Emergency Route is now as follows:

• Departing from Stumpy Point: 3:30a.m., 5, 6:30, 8, 9:30, 11, 12:30p.m., 2, 3:30, 5, 9:30, and 11.
• Departing from Rodanthe: 1:30a.m., 6, 7:30, 9, 10:30, noon, 1:30p.m, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, and midnight.

In addition, fuel supply trucks will have designated runs on Tuesdays and Fridays from Stumpy Point at 5 a.m. and from Rodanthe at 10:30a.m. and 4:30 p.m. This will allow more deck space for regular vehicles on the other runs.

The Ferry Division is also amending its regular Pamlico Sound schedule, adding another round trip to its Swan Quarter/Ocracoke route beginning Tuesday, December 10, with an additional departure from from Ocracoke at 7p.m. and from Swan Quarter at 10p.m. The new schedule for our regular Pamlico Sound routes will be as follows:

SWAN QUARTER-OCRACOKE:

• Departing from Swan Quarter: 10a.m., 1p.m., 4, and 10.
• Departing from Ocracoke: 7a.m., 10, 12:45p.m, and 7.

CEDAR ISLAND-OCRACOKE:

• Departing from Cedar Island: 7:30a.m, 10, and 4p.m.
• Departing from Ocracoke: 7:30a.m, 1p.m., and 4.

The emergency route was activated Tuesday after NCDOT closed the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge for safety reasons. The Ferry Division will continue to monitor traffic on the route to determine if any additional runs are needed.