St. Johns River Ferry service suspended for more than 3 months

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Starting today, Jan. 25, and running up until May 2, the St. Johns River Ferry’s has suspended service due to routine vessel maintenance.

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Jacksonville Transportation Authority told Action News Jax that on average, 1,143 people ride the ferry daily, and now, for a little more than 3 months, no one will have access to ride it.

Every day at every half hour, the ferry crosses between Mayport Village and Ft. George Island. With the ferry’s suspension, drivers will have to go 23.5 miles out of the way across the Dames Point Bridge. Action News Jax tried it, and the commutes took 30 minutes.

“I wish they could have a backup ferry or something,” said Joseph Dawson with JTA.

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For many, it’s a huge inconvenience. Dawson said every year, the ferry’s suspension gets longer and longer.

“From a month, to a month and a half, to two months and now 3 months,” said Dawson.

Still, he feels people might be better off driving to save money. Depending on the car, some people can drive 20 to 30 miles on one gallon of gasoline.

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In Duval County, the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.55. To take the ferry, it costs $8.

“For the people who work on base, it definitely affects them more. There’s a lot of people in the Navy who depend on it to get here,” said Dawson.

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Over the 13 weeks the ferry will be suspended, regular users would spend $520 bucks with discounts.

If you drive, you’d spend a little more than $230 in gas.

According to JTA, the St. Johns River Ferry is undergoing required and routine vessel maintenance, which is required by The U.S. Coast Guard.

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