JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The St. Johns River Ferry can turn a 25-mile drive from Mayport to Fort George Island into a one-mile ride, but the ferry will be shut down for maintenance for two months beginning Tuesday.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority said the ferry will be taken out of service from Sept. 4 through Halloween so crews can replace the terminal bridges and perform scheduled maintenance work.
The maintenance comes as the third phase of an ongoing construction project nears completion. Crews are removing old terminal bridges, restoring the bulkheads and installing stopping mechanisms.
The ferry provides daily service shuttling riders between Mayport Village and Fort George Island. It runs from 6 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. on weekends.
The work being done is part of an investment by JTA to improve service.
The Ray family traveled from Nocatee to ride the ferry Monday before it docks for two months.
“I just haven’t seen really anything like this. I mean, you can always drive around and be in your car for a little bit longer and what not, but this is just something that’s a little unique, so we definitely wanted to come check it out," Austin Ray said.
JTA was awarded more than $3 million to invest in the ferry and improve service. The third phase of the project is expected to be completed by January.
To learn more about the ferry schedule and ticketing information, you can either visit jtafla.com or call JTA's customer service staff at 904-630-3100.