Good news for commuters: St. Johns River Ferry returns to service on Wednesday

The Jean Ribault, the St. Johns River Ferry.

Idle for 14 weeks, the St. Johns River Ferry returns to service Wednesday, carrying cars and passengers across the St. Johns River between Mayport Village and Fort George Island.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority, which operates the ferry, suspended the service on Jan. 25 for 14 weeks to perform routine vessel maintenance required by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Commuters and travelers rely on the ferry service to cross the St. Johns River at Florida A1A in a five-minute trip rather than a 24-mile detour.

More improvements: Mayport ferry gets longer Friday hours, easier loading lanes and other changes

Vintage Photos: The Mayport Ferry through the years

Maintenance on the ferry is required every two to three years to ensure the vessel remains in a state of good repair, according to the JTA. It follows a similar shutdown at the beginning of 2021 for about $9 million in upgrades including new bulkheads and public restroom facilities at the Mayport landing.

The latest round of maintenance – estimated at $3 million – was set to include site safety and operational improvements, extension of bulkhead walls, new catwalk accesses and mooring bollards, new warehouse equipment systems, improved signage and bridge gantry preservation and rehabilitation. 

The vessel is named the Jean Ribault after the renowned French explorer and first launched in Jacksonville in 1996. It has a capacity of 40 cars with daily service every half hour connecting the north and south ends of A1A.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Johns River Ferry resumes service after maintenance