BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced that the St. Francisville/New Roads ferry will return to service late next week. The ferry was closed Oct. 3 when debris in the river struck and damaged the M/V St. Francisville’s rudder, shearing the rudder’s shaft.

The boat was immediately taken out of service and sent to the Bollinger Shipyard in Harvey for repairs. When the boat was taken out of the water, crews discovered additional damage to the propeller and propeller’s shaft, extending the time necessary to repair the vessel and return it to service.

Before traveling, drivers should call the Ferry Toll-Free Information line at 1-888-613-3779 for the status of the ferry, or visit the “Ferry Status” page on the right-hand side of the DOTD Web site.

-30-

www.dotd.la.gov