Due to the previous alignment of the Rollinson (Hatteras Ferry) Channel, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was only permitted to dredge the southern tip of Hatteras Island using federal funding — and state and local dollars must be used to dredge the Hatteras Connector Channel in order to successfully get boats to Hatteras Gorge and out into the Atlantic Ocean.

The fragmentation of this essential waterway — which also serves as the ferry route from Hatteras Village to Ocracoke Island — has been the source of considerable frustration for several years as everyone from commercial and recreational fishermen to members of the U.S. Coast Guard who are trying to perform life-saving missions have struggled to get through the inlet and into the open ocean.

The realignment classifies the entire ferry route (often called the "horseshoe route") as federally authorized, so that federal funding and federal dredges could be used here rather than a combination of federal, state and local dollars. 

Finalization of the Rollinson Realignment occurred in December of 2022. To view a copy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Rollinson Channel Realignment Environmental Assessment, click here.