State to buy new ferry

October 01, 2009 5:04 PM

Freedom News Service

The state has signed a contract for a new $13 million ferry to operate in Pamlico Sound routes, including the route from Ocracoke to Cedar Island.

The new ferry is expected to be ready by May 2011.

The contract for the ferry was awarded to Orange Shipbuilding Co. of Orange, Texas. It will be 220 feet by 50 feet.

It will hold 50 cars and 300 passengers, said Lucy Wallace, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Ferry Division. In addition to the Ocracoke to Cedar Island route, the ferry will run the Ocracoke to Swan Quarter route.

Wallace said that previous bids for the ferry came in over budget. The most recent bid was about a year ago. This one came in lower than expected, a result of the economic recession.

“We were real pleased,” Wallace said.

The Department of Transportation says that the new ferry will meet Americans with Disabilities Act and Environmental Protection Agency regulations. It will have an elevator and will be powered by the latest diesel technology to meet EPA standards.

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