- Jamestown Ferry
The Jamestown Ferry (also known as the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry) is an automobile and bus
ferry service across a navigable portion of the James River inVirginia . It carries State Route 31, connecting Jamestown in James City County with Scotland Wharf in Surry County.The service provides the only vehicle crossing of the river between the
James River Bridge downstream at Newport News and theBenjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge upriver near Hopewell. It is toll-free and operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by theVirginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Operations are based at the Scotland Wharf.History
Private, state operation
The ferryboat "Captain John Smith" made the first automobile ferry crossing of the James River on
February 26 ,1925 . TheVirginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) took over operation of the ferry in 1945.Bridge alternative considerations
The Eastern Virginia Bridge Company considered building a bridge at the location of the ferry in 1928. [PDFlink| [http://www.virginiadot.org/meetings/minutes_pdf/CTB-03-1928-01.pdf Minutes of the Meeting of the State Highway Commission of Virginia, Held Lunenburg, Petersburg and Richmond, March 15 and 16, 1928] |196 KiB , pages 11-12] . However, the plans did not develop into construction of a bridge.
The general concept of replacing the ferry service with a bridge is an issue which has been revisited by politicians, transportation officials, and communities on both sides of the river a number of times in years since, but no new plans for a bridge at this location have ever gained broad support. Opponents of a bridge crossing are concerned with potential increases in population that a permanent crossing may cause, primarily, on the Scotland Wharf side (Southern shore) of the James River. The need to provide deepwater access for shipping, requiring either a high bridge or
drawbridge , adds significantly to the potential cost of building a bridge. The high cost could not be recovered solely through tolls. Other factors which have been considered include negative visual impact uponJamestown Island , theColonial Parkway , and the surrounding area, as well as the probability of additional through traffic on the two-laned roads network on either side.Current ferry operations
Today, the scenic crossing from
Glass House Point at Jamestown to the landing at Scotland is the only 24-hour state-run ferry operation in Virginia. It has over 90 employees keeping it on schedule. It operates four ferry boats, the "Pocahontas", the "Williamsburg", the "Surry", and the "Virginia".Since
July 1 ,2004 theMaritime Transportation Security Act has implemented increased security procedures at both the Scotland Wharf and the Jamestown landings to prevent dangerous devices and materials from being transported onto and across the ferries. Increased checks in the form of random interior and exterior vehicle searches and identity checks have increased delays and have caused scheduled ferries to cross without boarding the full capacity of passenger vehicles waiting for crossing. Security screening should be taken into account when considering crossing the James River by way of the Jamestown ferry.Park and Ride bus service
To help mitigate rush hour traffic and new delays due to heightened security measures, in October 2007,
Williamsburg Area Transport (WAT) began a Park and Ridetransit bus service from 3 stops in Surry County to limited stops at several major points in James City County and Williamsburg, terminating at theWilliamsburg Transportation Center in the downtown area adjacent to the historic area ofColonial Williamsburg .*At the Williamsburg Transportation Center, connections are available with:
**8 other WAT routes covering portions of the city, areas in upper and lower James City County, the Bruton District of York County, and the western tip of Newport News at Lee Hall
**an express route ofHampton Roads Transit (HRT)
**intercity bus services fromGreyhound Lines (and its Carolina Trailways affiliate)
**intercity passenger rail service fromAmtrak *Surry County stops include Surry Government Center, Surry Community Center, and the VDOT Park and Ride lot near Scotland Wharf.
The bus will make two round trips each morning and two each afternoon during peak commuter periods, Monday through Friday. The daily fare is $3.00, which includes the cost of any transfers to other WAT routes. [ [http://www.williamsburgtransport.com/Pages/Surry%20Route.html Orange Line - Williamsburg Area Transport ] ]
Scotland in Surry County
Scotland in Surry County is only a short distance from the Town of Surry and State Route 10, which runs between Richmond and Suffolk. Highway 10 parallels the south bank of the James River, serving Hopewell, Smithfield.
Highway 10 provides access to many historical sites, including
City Point ,Flowerdew Hundred Plantation ,Upper Brandon Plantation ,Lower Brandon Plantation ,Chippokes Plantation State Park ,Bacon's Castle ,Smith's Fort Plantation , and theIsle of Wight County Museum in Smithfield.Tourists
Tourists heading for Virginia's
Historic Triangle of colonial attractions (Jamestown,Colonial Williamsburg , and Yorktown) and theColonial Parkway often approach the area from the south by water with a ride aboard one of the Jamestown Ferries.During the 15-minute ride across the river passengers can walk about the boat or go up to an enclosed viewing level with lavatory facilities. Weather and daylight permitting, northbound passengers usually see the Jamestown Island much as the first colonists may have approached it almost 400 years ago. Near the northern ferry landing, the replicas of
Christopher Newport 's three tiny ships, "Susan Constant", "Godspeed", and "Discovery" are docked at Virginia'sJamestown Settlement attraction. Both the Jamestown Ferry and Colonial Parkway, which begins nearby, are toll-free.References
External links
* [http://www.vdot.virginia.gov/travel/ferry-jamestown.asp VDOT Jamestown Ferry website]
* [http://www.williamsburgtransport.com/Pages/Surry%20Route.html Williamsburg Area Transport (WAT) Bus Service]
* [http://www.virginiaplaces.org/transportation/ferries.html Virginia Places website Jamestown Ferry photographs]Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings
place = James River
bridge = Jamestown Ferry
bridge signs =
upstream =Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream =James River Bridge
downstream signs =
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