Jamestown Ferry

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The Jamestown Ferry (dotted line, center left) crosses the James River from Scotland Wharf to Jamestown, the oldest of the 3 points of Colonial Virginia's Historic Triangle. Nearby, the National Park Service's scenic Colonial Parkway (red line) provides a link to the other two points, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

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 in Virginia. 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 the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge upriver near Hopewell. It is toll-free and operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Operations are based at the Scotland Wharf.

1 History
2 Private, state operation
3 Bridge alternative considerations
4 Current ferry operations
5 Park and Ride bus service
6 Scotland in Surry County
7 Tourists
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Private, state operation

The ferryboat Captain John Smith made the first automobile ferry crossing of the James River on February 26, 1925. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) took over operation of the ferry in 1945.

[edit] Bridge alternative considerations

The Eastern Virginia Bridge Company considered building a bridge at the location of the ferry in 1928.^[1]. 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 upon Jamestown Island, the Colonial Parkway, and the surrounding area, as well as the probability of additional through traffic on the two-laned roads network on either side.

[edit] 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 the Maritime 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.

[edit] 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 Ride transit bus service from 3 stops in Surry County to limited stops at several major points in James City County and Williamsburg, terminating at the Williamsburg Transportation Center in the downtown area adjacent to the historic area of Colonial 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 of Hampton Roads Transit (HRT)
- intercity bus services from Greyhound Lines (and its Carolina Trailways affiliate)
- intercity passenger rail service from Amtrak

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. ^[2]

[edit] 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 the Isle of Wight County Museum in Smithfield.

[edit] Tourists

Tourists heading for Virginia's Historic Triangle of colonial attractions (Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown) and the Colonial 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's Jamestown Settlement attraction. Both the Jamestown Ferry and Colonial Parkway, which begins nearby, are toll-free.