House transportation panel to consider ferry audit, NCDOT project delivery study
RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina House committee is scheduled to consider two transportation oversight bills Wednesday, including one that would require a performance audit of the state Ferry Division and another directing the Department of Transportation to study delivery of projects funded through the state’s transportation prioritization system.
House Bill 1094 and House Bill 1109 are both listed on the House Transportation Committee calendar for 10 a.m. Wednesday. The calendar notes that proposed committee substitutes are expected to be considered for both bills.
House Bill 1094, titled “Ferry Division Performance Audit,” would direct the Office of the State Auditor to conduct a performance audit of the Ferry Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The bill says the audit was recommended by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee.
Under the bill, the audit would include a review of the division’s operations and maintenance spending, budget practices, operations, capital projects and maintenance activities. It also would require an evaluation of the current ferry route system and possible route and schedule adjustments to maximize revenue and reduce costs.
The bill also directs the auditor to evaluate options to diversify revenue to support ferry capital projects and recoup operating costs. The auditor would be required to report findings to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee and Fiscal Research Division by Oct. 1.
The bill is sponsored by Reps. Frank Iler and Phil Shepard as primary sponsors, with Reps. Celeste Cairns, Carla Cunningham Goodwin, Grey Mills McNeely, David Penny and Edward Ward listed on the bill page. The measure was filed April 29 and referred April 30 to the House Transportation Committee, with a referral to Rules if it receives favorable action.
House Bill 1109, titled “NCDOT STI Study Recommendation,” would direct NCDOT to study project delivery performance for projects prioritized under the state’s Strategic Prioritization Funding Plan for Transportation Investments, commonly known as STI.
The bill directs NCDOT to study factors that negatively affect delivery of STI-prioritized projects and recommend legislative or other changes to improve delivery. The department could consult with planning organizations, the construction industry and other relevant partners.
NCDOT would be required to submit its report by Nov. 1 to the chairs of the House Select Committee on North Carolina’s Transportation Future, the chairs of the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee and the Fiscal Research Division.
House Bill 1109 is sponsored by Shepard and Iler as primary sponsors. Other sponsors listed on the bill page include Reps. Amos Quick Branson, Garland Brown, John Bradford Loftis, Nasif Majeed Logan, Ya Liu Lopez, McNeely, Penny, Rubin, Ward and Winslow.
Both bills are oversight measures rather than immediate appropriations. If approved, they could shape future legislative debates over ferry costs, coastal transportation access, project scoring and the pace of transportation construction across North Carolina.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
