NCDOT confirms Southport-Fort Fisher ferry aims to reopen October 1

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — NCDOT has confirmed that the Southport-For Fisher ferry is aiming to reopen on October 1.

The ferry closed earlier this week to repairs on the Southport ramp system.

Southport Ferry Operations Manager, Kirk Pistel, says the ramp is used for cars to drive on and off the ferry and is run by a system of cables and counterweights. That system failed Tuesday when a cable snapped. Pistel says that cable was less than a year old.

The NCDOT suggests in the meantime that motorists use U.S. Highway 17 and N.C. Highway 87 to travel from Southport to Wilmington.

According to a press release, Ferry commuter pass holders will be given an extension on their passes that is equal to the length of the service outage.

NCDOT also says a separate project to replace cable systems with hydraulic ones is tentatively scheduled for early 2020.