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Currituck board opposes proposed ferry tolls; adopts joint and local resolutions
Summary
The Currituck County Board of Commissioners adopted a joint resolution with neighboring counties opposing new ferry tolls and separately approved a resolution opposing proposed tolls on the Knotts Island (Currituck–Knotts Island) ferry, citing impacts on schoolchildren and essential travel routes.
The Currituck County Board of Commissioners voted to join a multi‑county resolution opposing proposed new tolls and toll increases on North Carolina Department of Transportation ferry routes and separately approved a county resolution opposing tolls on the Currituck–Knotts Island ferry.
Commissioners said proposed charges — described during the meeting as a $1 walk‑on fee, a $3 passenger/vehicle fee and an offered $150 annual pass — would be harmful to residents who rely on ferries for daily travel, school transportation and essential services. Commissioner Angel noted the Knotts Island ferry was established "to transport the kids to and from school" and said charging schoolchildren would be unfair.
The joint resolution was presented as an action taken together by multiple coastal counties (Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Jones and Pamlico were named during the discussion) to oppose new tolls and increases on state ferry routes. County representatives said the ferry functions as a road or bridge for many communities in eastern North Carolina: tolled ferries would force some residents to drive long detours or, in some cases, to cross state lines to reach services and schools.
The board also considered a separate resolution specifically opposing tolls for the Knotts Island (also referenced in the meeting as Knox/Nuts Island) ferry route, which several commissioners said was established to carry students to school and was intended historically to remain free. Commissioners described narrow, rural roads serving Knotts Island and said the added travel burdens from tolling would be significant for residents.
Both resolutions were adopted by voice vote. Commissioners encouraged residents to contact Raleigh and the governor’s office and to join grassroots outreach opposing tolling proposals. The board’s motion to adopt the joint ferry resolution was moved and seconded on the meeting floor; a subsequent motion to adopt the Knotts Island‑specific resolution likewise passed by voice vote.
County staff and commissioners noted prior episodes in which toll proposals were debated and, in one instance described by commissioners, withdrawn after county residents and officials urged DOT representatives to review local conditions.
The resolutions are formal expressions of opposition and do not prevent the Department of Transportation from proposing fees. The board directed outreach to state officials and asked the clerk to include the county in the joint communication with affected counties.
