Commuters and weekend cruisers will once again be able to catch rides on the St. Johns River Ferry when it resumes trips on June 13 after being knocked out of service five weeks ago when the boat hit the boarding ramp of the Mayport landing.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority, which operates the ferry, had said the temporary shutdown could take six to 12 weeks for “significant repairs” to the boarding ramp.
The scheduled resumption of service beat that target date and will once again give motorists going down Florida A1A a direct connection again between Mayport and Fort George Island for daily trips.
In a May 8 update, JTA had said the ferry boat remained fully operable but the boarding ramp sustained damage when the boat struck it while departing from Mayport.
During the temporary shutdown, the transportation authority decided to do routine maintenance work required by the U.S. Coast Guard on the vessel. JTA says that will reduce the amount of time for maintenance next year when such repairs typically require taking the ferry out of service.
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When the ferry is in operation between Mayport and Fort George Island, it runs seven days a week with departures every half hour from each side of the river. The schedule for departures is available at ferry.jtafla.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Johns River Ferry resumes service on June 13 in Jacksonville