The Chalmette ferry is out of service after a tugboat pushing barges struck the Thomas Jefferson overnight. The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority lists the route as suspended. The agency said repairs and inspections are expected to take several days. It gave no reopening date.
The impact damaged the ferry’s stern, according to the transit authority. No injuries were reported. The agency says this was a separate incident from Friday’s tanker and riverboat collision on the Mississippi River.
An 18-mile detour by bridge
Route 4 normally carries riders across the Mississippi River between Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish and Lower Algiers on the New Orleans West Bank. Drivers who use the ferry will need to cross by bridge. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development puts the road distance between the two ferry landings at about 18 miles. The mileage for an individual trip will depend on where it starts and ends.
The state ferry board lists the separate Algiers Point crossing to Canal Street as open. That service connects Algiers Point and downtown New Orleans. It uses different landings from the Chalmette ferry. Look for route 4 on the RTA alerts page to check for a reopening. Route 1 is the Algiers Point ferry.
