In preparation for the re-patriation of thousands of Orleans and Jefferson parish citizens, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has re-opened the Algiers/Canal Street and Lower Algiers/Chalmette ferries.

Normal operating hours for the Lower Algiers/Chalmette crossing are 6 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. daily. Normal operating hours for the Algiers/Canal Streetcrossing are 6 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. daily.

The Gretna/Jackson Avenue ferry will resume operations at 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 8. The ferry's normal hours are 6 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To facilitate the residents' evacuation return, DOTD has suspended all tolls on the ferries and the Crescent City Connection Bridge. Tolls will be reinstated on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

The toll for a CCCD ferry is $1 per vehicle. The toll to cross the CCCD bridge is 50 cents per axle (or 20 cents per axle for those with a toll tag). Ferry and bridge tolls are only collected from those headed eastbound.

For more information about the CCCDBridgeor ferries, contact the Crescent City Connection Division at (504) 376-8100 or contact DOTD's CustomerServiceCenterat 1-877-4-LADOTD (1-877-452-3683).
For the latest on Hurricane Gustav, you can visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.