In this week’s Kentucky Transportation Cabinet video address, ferries are on topic. Stimulus money will be used to upgrade three ferry crossings in Kentucky. The video above has the details (via twitter / @KYTCminute). The news reminded me of of a proposal several years back to start up a ferry connecting Louisville with Jeffersonville. The plan obviously fell through, but it’s still an interesting topic.
Would you ever cross the Ohio River by ferry? Would you want to take your car on the ferry, too, or just your person? Louisville had many ferries long ago, but could the technology work again today? What are your thoughts? Typically, a ferry works better with a robust transit system and a critical density that allows for more of a car-free lifestyle, but as the city grows, perhaps a ferry could become more feasible.
I’d rather see good pedestrian/bike connectivity via the Big Four Bridge. Not sure a ferry would work other than as a pleasure cruise type thing given that there are ample bridge crossings for autos today.
I agree, Urbanophile; it’s certainly not something for the short term where many other improvements like the Big Four could make a bigger impact. Do you see ferries as part of a future transportation network in any river city in the future or do you think bridges will dominate?
It’s hard for me to see. I think ferry’s work where you’ve got a wide water crossing with few if any bridges, and thus a ferry provides a time/cost savings. Or, if one side has terrible parking and prices, where you can simply park on the far side and ferry across.
By the way, is it just me, or is it very perplexing that the Big Four bridge hasn’t been done sooner. This thing has been on the drawing board over a decade, right? And it’s not even that expensive as these things go.
it’s under construction now, urbano-. it was simply an issue of it being in the third phase of the phased waterfront development project. the last phase, as i understand it, was made last because of some land acquisition issues around the big four.
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phase one was right downtown (1st to preston-ish), phase two leapfrogged farther east of the big four, and phase three fills in the middle.