The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) announced that the St. Johns River Ferry service will resume on Friday, following last month's allision involving its only operational vessel.
The 153.6'x56' ferry Jean Ribault had been out of service since May 4, when it struck a boarding ramp while departing from Mayport Landing in Jacksonville, Fla. No injuries were reported.
Following an assessment, it was determined that the ferry was fully operational, but the ramp structure required significant repairs expected to several weeks, preventing the resumption of service.
The JTA said Wednesday that service will resume on Friday, June 13, two weeks ahead of schedule.
During the service outage, the JTA was able to proactively complete most of the Coast Guard-required maintenance aboard the Jean Ribault that had been scheduled for next year, the agency said. This is expected to significantly reduce the time needed for that future maintenance, it added.
Built by Atlantic DryDock and Marine, Jacksonville, in 1996, the Jean Ribault has capacity for 206 passengers and 40 vehicles. The ferry connects the north and south ends of Florida State Road A1A in Duval County by crossing the St. Johns River between Mayport Village and Fort George Island.
The Jean Ribault has been the sole vessel serving the St. Johns River Ferry since 2008, when the 50-car capacity Blackbeard was retired and placed into drydock storage in Green Cove Springs, Fla.
JTA is forced to pause ferry service for several weeks each year while maintenance is performed aboard the Jean Ribault.
In September, JTA was awarded a $15.6 million federal grant to purchase a new diesel-electric hybrid ferry to support the St. Johns River Ferry service.
