Pamlico Sound Ferry Routes Suspended Due To Shoaling

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is suspending all service on the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter ferry routes through Monday, April 12.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began dredging the Bigfoot Slough last month to clear the shoaling. The agency said in a news release Wednesday that shoaling continues to worsen in the ferry channel, just outside of Ocracoke’s Silver Lake Harbor.  Shoaling occurs when sediment fills the channel, making water depths too shallow and too narrow for the ferry vessels to safely operate.  The Ferry Division will reassess channel conditions on Monday and make a decision on whether to resume service at that time.