One of seven public hearings on proposed rate hikes for the state ferry system—the hearing set for Southport—has been pushed back a week at the request of local officials.
The date, time and location of that hearing have been changed to Tuesday, Feb. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Southport City Hall, located at 201 E. Moore St.
The hearing was originally to be held next Monday, Feb. 10, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the International Longshoremen’s Association hall on West 10th Street. The change was made at the request of local officials, according to a release from the N.C. Department of Transportation.
The complete list of hearings is as follows:
- Tuesday, Feb. 4, 7-9 p.m., Knotts Island Elementary School, 413 Woodleigh Road, Knotts Island
- Wednesday, Feb. 5, 7-9 p.m., Beaufort County Community College, 5337 Highway 264 East, Washington
- Thursday, Feb. 6, 7-9 p.m., Pamlico Community College—Delamar Center, 5049 Highway 306 South, Grantsboro
- Tuesday, Feb., 7-9 p.m., Crystal Coast Civic Center, 3505 Arendell St., Morehead City
- Wednesday, Feb. 12, 7-9 p.m., Ocracoke School, 120 Schoolhouse Road, Ocracoke
- Thursday, Feb. 13, 7-9 p.m., Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, 59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras
- Tuesday, Feb. 18, 7-9 p.m., Southport City Hall, 201 E. Moore St., Southport
The Department of Transportation is conducting the hearings in accordance with a mandate from the General Assembly that would increase annual revenue for the state ferry system to $5 million.
According to a notice from the DOT, the mandate calls for new ferry acquisitions to be funded through Strategic Transportation Initiative funding or by revenue-raising initiatives such as tolling, advertising and concessions. The mandate also requires that all tolling increases be requested by the regional Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) or Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) before being approved by the N.C. Board of Transportation.
The Board of Transportation recently approved a tolling methodology that would toll routes by distance travelled and raise approximately $5 million per year for ferry replacement, the notice states. Tolls would be established on the Hatteras-Ocracoke, Currituck-Knotts Island, Bayview-Aurora and Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach routes, which are currently not tolled, and increase tolls on the Southport-Fort Fisher, Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Swan Quarter-Ocracoke routes.
The proposals would increase tolls on the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry from $5 to $7 for a vehicle less than 20 feet in length, from $10 to $14 for a vehicle between 20 feet and 40 feet, and from $15 to $28 for vehicles over 40 feet. Tolls for pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles would remain $1, $2 and $3, respectively, while other ferry routes would see those increased.
Annual passes would be $40 for pedestrians, $75 for bicycles, $75 for motorcycles, $150 for vehicles under 20 feet, $175 for vehicles 20 to 40 feet long, and $225 for vehicles over 40 feet.
Charts of the proposed rate changes can be found on DOT’s Ferry Division website.
DOT said all revenue collected will go only toward new ferry vessels. After the public hearings, RPOs and MPOs will decide whether to accept the toll changes.
The effort is the latest to establish a tolling system intended to make the state ferry system self-sufficient. Legislators have said the system does not generate enough revenue to sustain its own needs. Similar hearings were held in 2012 and 2013 (Previous story), but legislators have thus far held off adopting a new tolling system, in part due to concerns received in those hearings and revisions that have been made to the proposals as a result.
Each of the hearings will start with a formal presentation, followed by statements, questions and comments from the audience. Anyone wishing to speak is asked to register at the sign-in table prior to the presentation. Speakers should arrive about 30 minutes early to allow time to sign in.
Anyone who cannot attend one of the hearings may submit written comments to [email protected] any time before the end of business Feb. 28. Written comments carry equal weight to verbal comments at the hearings, the DOT said.
More information about the hearings is available by contacting Jamille Robbins of the DOT’s Human Environment Unit at 919-707-6085 or [email protected].
