From the HERE City State Desk
The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is set to present its recommended toll rates to the state Board of Transportation on Thursday, a key step toward charging fares on every state ferry route starting Jan. 1.
A 2026 state law, Session Law 2026-41, requires the department to collect tolls on all ferry routes, with the money going toward replacing aging vessels. Tolls are already collected on the Cedar Island-Ocracoke, Swan Quarter-Ocracoke and Southport-Fort Fisher vehicle routes.
The law adds tolls on four vehicle routes that have been free: Currituck-Knotts Island, Bayview-Aurora, Hatteras-Ocracoke and Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach. Coastal leaders have strongly opposed the change, arguing that the ferries serve as essential highways for people who live along the coast.
The law also creates a $150 annual commuter pass for active-duty military members and permanent residents of the state’s 20 coastal counties.
NCDOT held five public listening sessions in early September. A second public comment period, when toll rate scenarios and the rate-setting method will be posted online, runs Oct. 9-23. The Board of Transportation is scheduled to consider adopting the rates Nov. 5.