Sunday, July 1, 2007

During our online chat (most Mondays at 2 p.m.), you ask and we answer your travel questions -- mostly. Here's one we couldn't completely answer last week.

What's the quickest way to get from Ocracoke Island to I-95 south?

Ocracoke Island, on the southernmost tip of North Carolina's Outer Banks, is 26 miles from the mainland and accessible only by boat or plane. There's no quick way to I-95, but there are quicker routes. Wit Tuttell, a spokesman for North Carolina Travel & Tourism, recommends taking the Cedar Island ferry ($15 one way), then driving Highway 12 to Route 70 west toward Raleigh and picking up I-95 south in Selma, N.C. Travel time should be about five hours, including the 2 1/2 -hour boat ride.

An alternative: Hop on the Swan Quarter ferry ($15, 2 1/4 hours), then follow Highway 45 east to Route 264 to I-95. The latter route is about a half-hour faster, but you will be farther north. Ferries fill during the summer, so book in advance. Ferry info: North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division, 800-293-3779, http://www.ncdot.org/transit/ferry.