southern tier, st francisville ferry...good news

[cajunpedaler]

the state of louisiana is building a new bridge to replace the ferry at st. francisville, la..the good news is that the bridge is going to be bicycle friendly in the bike lane..the expansion joints are not tire gobblers. this is due to our wonderful, thoughtful, attentive bike club president here in this area.  the bad news..the ferry will probably be decommissioned, it was always part of the "sentimental journey".
the bridge is scheduled to open in the summer of 2011.  so until then, there will still be the ferry.

i live here and will try to notice and post things relevant..
perry
cajunpedaler
warmshowers.org host
jackson, la

[knolltop]

:thumbsup:

[JHamelman]

Thanks cajunpedaler. We appreciate hearing from locals on our routes about the conditions of things. You are one of our best resources!

.Jennifer.

[jamawani]

A ferry is the civilized way to cross the Mississippi.
Pausing at the river bank - loading the ferry - watching the river ripple by -
These allow you to experience the river in ways that no bridge can do.

[cajunpedaler]

i agree, i mourn the loss of the ferry, but thought i would post the reality of the bridge being bike friendly..so many states, do away with something traditional and no concessions are made for cyclists.

perry

[flagulfside]

Hello CajunPedaler - Can we talk about road conditionsm on the Southern Tier ride from Gulfport, MS to the Texas line?  I live in Florida and am resuming my ride across the Southern Tier to San Diego this May.  FlaGulfSide

[Westinghouse]

How can one get a genuine feel for the big muddy by passing over it on a bridge. It's kind of like taking a shower with a raincoat on.

[Jason]

Man, what would Twain think...

One of the fondest moments of the southern tier was the ferry ride over the Mississippi.  The firm handshake from the ferry's skipper and feeling like I had really crossed into the West are something I won't forget.

Anyway, thanks for the update,

j

[Bike Hermit]

Wow, I wonder how that will affect traffic in St. Francisville. Bucolic and hypnotic I remember that town to be. I had to wait about 30 minutes for a broken down car to be taken off the ferry. Don't even want to think about the 60 mile detour over a death defying bridge if the ferry had not started again. It seems like the ferry was sort of unreliable that way. Part of the adventure maybe?

[Bike Hermit]

According to the LA DOT, because the river is at the stage when protocol calls for closing the ferry, they have decided to close the ferry permanently as of May 5, 2011. The bridge is not 100% finished, but is open for traffic.  cajunpedaler do you know if bicycles can get across without riding in traffic?

[rubenjohnson]

If you are planning a ride along the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier I thought I should share this bit of news, is a nice thread on our website Bike Touring News. The funky ferry ... but that the expansion joints are covered in the shoulder, so that is good for bikes. ...