BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced that the St. Francisville/New Roads ferry has returned to service.  The ferry has been out of service since May 16 due to problems with the ferry’s rudder.

The M/V St. Francisville recently returned from the shipyard to replace the M/V New Roads, which was taken out of service because of a blown starboard engine. During testing, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) was concerned with the M/V St. Francisville’s newly installed rudder.  The USCG would not clear the M/V St. Francisville for service until the bushings were repaired.  DOTD maintenance crews have repaired the ferry’s rudder, and the St. Francisville ferry has returned to its normal hours of operation.

For updates on the ferries, visit the “Ferry Status” page on the right-hand side of the DOTD Web site at www.dotd.la.gov or call the Ferry Toll-Free Information line at 1-888-613-3779.

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www.dotd.la.gov