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Throughout the year,
more than 8 million people use the TxDOT ferry system. The peak months for ferry
use are June, July and August. The greatest number of
passengers carried on a single day was July 3, 1994 when 43,472 people boarded
Galveston Island to Port Bolivar ferries. The most vehicles transported on a
single day occurred a year earlier on July 4, 1993 when 12,733 vehicles were
carried.
Galveston Island to Port Bolivar
The Galveston-Port Bolivar ferry is the bridge between two segments of State
Highway 87. South of IH-10, State Highway 87 is the only highway around
Galveston Bay. The free ferry service is the only way motorists can
cross the waterway between Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island.
The ferry service is critical to the residents of Bolivar Peninsula when a
hurricane threatens. The ferries are the primary means of evacuation through
Galveston to the causeway and the mainland. Ferries continue crossing the
channel until high winds and tides make their mission unsafe. The boats are then
secured in their moorings at the Galveston landing facility.
The 2.7 mile trip takes approximately 18 minutes to cross one of the busiest
waterways in the world. (View ferry schedule). Through the Bolivar Roads Channel flows the commerce of
the Port of Houston, the nations largest inland port, as well as other Galveston
and Trinity Bay communities. Approximately 7,000 ships visit the Port of Houston
each year.
The ferry operation consists of five boats, each of which can carry
approximately 70 vehicles, 500 passengers and six crewmembers. Each ferry is
capable of carrying eight 18-wheel trucks weighing 80,000 pounds each. All of
the boats are double-ended with a pilothouse on each end, and the captain
changes from one pilothouse to the other to go in the opposite direction.
The Gibb Gilchrist is a traditionally powered and steered vessel. The
R.C.
Lanier, D.C. Greer, Ray Stoker, Jr. and
R.H. Dedman, the four newest ferries,
employ a "cycloidal propulsion" system. Instead of conventional propellers and
rudders, power is obtained from two vertical cycloidal propulsors, one at each
end of the boat. This technology allows the ferry to make 360 degree turns or to
move sideways with no forward or backward movement. It also allows the captain
to make quicker stops or slow the vessel much more rapidly than conventionally
propelled boats.
All of the boats are named after former Texas Transportation Commission
members except the Gibb Gilchrist. Mr. Gilchrist was the State Highway Engineer
twice during his career with the department.
Between 1994 and 1996, additional maintenance and mooring facilities were
built and the public rest areas were completely rehabilitated. Secure, lighted
parking facilities were also provided on both sides for passengers who wish to
walk aboard.
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Port Aransas
The Port Aransas ferry provides travelers on Texas 361 a link across the
quarter-mile wide Corpus Christi Channel. The ferries operate 24-hours a day,
365 days a year. The trip takes from three to ten minutes, depending on the
weather and ship traffic in the channel. (View
ferry schedule). Although there are four loading docks
on each side of the channel, the number of ferries operating at the same time is
determined by the traffic demand. During peak operating periods, travelers may
have to wait 20 minutes or more to load.
There are six ferries available for use at Port Aransas and the operation
requires an annual operating budget of approximately $1.5 million. The six ferry
boats are the William G. Burnett,
B.L. DeBerry, J.C. Dingwall,
Mark G. Goode, R.E. Stotzer, Jr. and
Arnold W. Oliver. All named for former Executive Directors
of TxDOT.
Each ferry can carry 20 regular passenger vehicles per trip and can transport
about 100 vehicles per hour. The maximum length for combined vehicles (such as a
car and boat) is 65 feet, the maximum width allowed is 96 inches, the maximum
height is 13 feet 6 inches and the maximum gross weight is 80,000 pounds.
A 24-hour radio advisory message is broadcast on AM 530 providing information
on ferry operations, regulations and procedures. During emergencies the
frequency can be used for live broadcasts.
The ferry service becomes critical to the citizens of Port Aransas and the
islands when a hurricane threatens. The ferries are the primary means of
evacuation. Trips are continued until high winds and tides make their mission
unsafe. The ferries are then taken to harbor at the Port of Corpus Christi.
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