BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced that the St. Francisville/New Roads ferry will reduce service to daylight hours only because of low water levels. The tentative hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. but will change to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. once daylight-savings time goes into affect on Nov. 1.

With the water at such low levels the captains need to run during daylight when visibility is best. Based on the latest forecast from the National Weather Service, it will be a minimum of one month before river levels rise and the ferry can return to normal hours.  Additionally, the river stage is projected to continue to fall for the next several weeks, and it may become necessary to temporarily shut the location down.  DOTD will continue to monitor the situation, and provide updates as they become pertinent.

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.

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www.dotd.la.gov