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.
Drone Delivers Supplies to Ocracoke in Trial Flight
Getting emergency supplies to the barrier islands may soon be made easier thanks to drones.
Last week, NCDOT’s Aviation Division, Ferry Division and the U.S. based drone company Volansi partnered together to stage two test drone deliveries between Hatteras Village and Ocracoke Island.
Each flight was an eight mile round trip and took about 18 minutes to complete.
While one drone carried a small survival kit, space blankets and a chocolate muffin, the other delivered bottles of water.
“This is a first step in utilizing new technologies to reach remote places, and, as this technology advances, it has the potential to deliver life-saving supplies and equipment and provide real-time analysis following storms and other emergencies,” said Chief Operating Officer Beau Memory. “NCDOT will continue to test the latest innovations as we strive to provide a safe and resilient transportation system.”
To learn more about the department’s drone program, visit ncdot.gov/aviation.
Highway Dedicated to Cherokee Beloved Man
NCDOT and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians honored the late Dr. Jerry Wolfe during a highway dedication.
Dr. Wolfe has been the only person in the last 200 years to be honored with the title of Beloved Man by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Beloved Man is a special designation for the unique contributions to the Cherokee people.
On July 27, NCDOT officials and representatives from the tribe honored Dr. Wolfe by naming a 4.2 mile stretch of U.S. 441 as the Beloved Man Dr. Jerry Wolfe Highway.
As part of the dedication, highway signs with language written in both Cherokee and English have been placed along the route.
“Jerry was a Beloved Man of the tribe, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon the Cherokee,” said Richard Sneed, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. “He embodied and personified what it means to be Cherokee.”
Dr. Wolfe, a World War 2 veteran, received numerous awards throughout his life for his commitment to sharing and preserving the Cherokee language. He died in 2018.
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.
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