RALEIGH – The following are highlights from this week at the N.C. Department of Transportation. The stories below are also featured in
NCDOT Now, the department's weekly newscast.
NCDMV Service Changes
Starting this week, all customer services statewide will be provided on a walk-in basis after noon. Appointments will only be available in the mornings through the 11 a.m. hour and can be booked at
skiptheline.ncdot.gov.
Even with this change, walk-in customers may still have the opportunity for morning-hour service if there is time between scheduled appointments or if a customer does not appear for a scheduled appointment.
Also beginning this week, five additional offices will open an hour earlier to provide services starting at 7 a.m. Offices in Aberdeen, Graham, Kernersville, Mooresville and Washington will join 35 locations already providing an extra hour of service to customers.
Ferry Division Launches FINS
The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division has launched a new text and email notification system to alert ferry passengers when weather or mechanical issues cause schedule interruptions on state ferry routes.
Under the new Ferry Information Notification System, or FINS, people will be able to select the routes they want to receive alerts from, and choose whether to receive those alerts via text, email or both.
To sign up for FINS, go to
www.ncdot.gov/fins and enter your email address and/or phone number under each route you’d like to receive alerts from.
The FINS system is currently in a test phase, with full implementation expected later this spring. Comments or feedback on the new system can be submitted through
NCDOT’s Contact Us application.
NCDOT Youth Engagement
The department engages with youth through several events, including the Model Bridge Competition, Bike/Walk to school Day, and the Aviation Art Contest.
The Model Bridge Competition encourages middle and high school students across the state to develop the math and science skills needed and used in transportation, construction, and engineering careers.
The art contest is an annual competition hosted to inspire and engage young people, ages 6-17, in aviation. North Carolina was one of 20 states to submit artwork and over 150 submissions were entered in the national competition this year. Two North Carolina students claimed top honors in this year's U.S. National Aviation Art Contest.
Wednesday was national Bike and Roll to School Day, which reminds parents and children the benefits of letting kids walk or ride their way to school. Several North Carolina communities took part in the event, where kids, teachers and parents walked or biked together.
Learn more about these and other youth initiatives at
ncdot.gov.
For more information about NCDOT Now, contact the NCDOT Communications Office at (919) 707-2660. Additional news stories from throughout the week can be found on
NCDOT.gov