KNOTTS ISLAND, N.C. — The 11:30 a.m. ferry from the Currituck mainland to Knotts Island was peaceful. Three cars total were on it crossing the Currituck Sound to get to the small island community. It's a free route that is now expected to be tolled in the new year because of legislation in the North Carolina state budget to toll all routes in the state.
"I do not want to pay another yearly fee to ride a ferry that I feel like I'm already paying for," said Tina Freeman, a more than 40-year resident of Knotts Island.
Tony Angell lives on and represents Knotts Island as a Currituck County commissioner.
"This ferry is our highway, and it feels like an unfair taxation on us to that we would have to pay a toll," said Angell.
Legislation was included in the state budget to toll all ferry routes in the state, with the money generated going directly toward establishing new ferries and maintenance on the already aging fleet.
But one of the biggest frustrations from neighbors is that they'll still be expected to purchase a yearly commuter pass expected to be $150 to ride the ferry.
"It's a privilege for us. And I think that if they charge us, that's very sad as a taxpayer, that they're gonna extra charge us for something that we've always had," said Freeman.
A burden for Knotts Island neighbors that could have a heavy impact, especially during the school year. School buses will have a free ride, but what about the teachers, kids and parents using the ferry to go to school? Angell has a high school son who uses the ferry every day to get to school and outside of wrestling season to get home as well.
"To toll a kid to go to school has always kind of been a little ridiculous to me. To force the kids to drive around on on those narrow back roads with no shoulders, really really deep ditches, that's a concern. That's a safety concern from a parent when we have a perfectly good ferry that you know should be running," said Angell.
Angell understands tolling the more tourist-driven routes, but that's not what this is for Knotts Island.
"I can understand tolling some of the ferries, especially for the out of state or the tourist related activities. But this ferry, it's not a tourist driven ferry. This is getting locals to and from the mainland," said Angell.
Another concern Angell has is paying for that commuter pass in times when the ferry might not be running due to weather or maintenance issues.
"If our ferry goes down, it could be a couple weeks at times. If I buy a year pass, now I've paid for a service that may be degraded due to unforeseen circumstances. So, what does that look like on the back end? That's a big question. You're making people pay for a service that one, our tax dollars should already pay for, and two, that may or may not be dependable based on weather conditions," said Angell.
These are questions that Angell and fellow Knotts Island residents are hoping can be answered before the tolls are expected to be enacted in January 2027. Right now, it's not clear what the flat rate for each ride is going to be on the free routes.
Another big part of this also depends on the ferry system's audit that state auditor Dave Boliek is actively working on. That report is due by mid-January 2027.
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