State’s historic ferries make their return to Connecticut River
CHESTER — Before the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry began carrying passengers and cars across the Connecticut River again this spring, Patricia Morrell transferred departments and joined the crew as a mate.
Previously, Morrell conducted road maintenance for the state but switched to her new role six weeks ago. And so far, she said she prefers the pace and work aboard the state-operated ferry.
Morrell said she made the change in large part because of her workplace views from the Connecticut River of Gillette Castle, a state park that straddles the towns of East Haddam and Lyme.
“And there’s no poison ivy out here,” she joked Monday at the ferry, which began operating for the season on Saturday with a mix of new and old crew members.
The opening of the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry was delayed a day due to maintenance. The Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry is still stuck in dock, which frequently happens in spring, due to high water levels on the Connecticut River.
The Department of Transportation’s two ferries are among the oldest in the country and retain a steady stream of loyal riders.
Ridership bounces back
In 2019, before the pandemic, the ferries carried a combined 40,195 vehicles and 88,714 passengers during their season, which normally runs from April 1 to Nov. 30, DOT spokesperson Josh Morgan said.
But due to COVID-19 in 2020, the season was cut short before it began. A DOT statement on March 30, 2020, suspended operations of the ferries until further notice, before restarting the service in late June. The boats then ran on a modified schedule from June 22 to Oct. 26, Morgan said.
With the shortened season and calls for Connecticut residents to remain at home as much as possible, the ferries’ ridership dipped to 21,729 vehicles and 5,521 passengers. During the 2020 season, masks were required for crew members and passengers while aboard the ferries.
After the service was halted for a portion of the 2020 season, the ridership numbers for 2021 bounced back, with the ferries carrying a combined 40,183 vehicles and 89,831 passengers, according to DOT data.
While ridership rates last year were slightly higher than in 2019, they have yet to reach some of the highest rates. in 2017, the ferries transported more than 43,000 vehicles and 90,000 passengers, according to DOT reports.
About 70 percent of the traffic is carried on the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, with a capacity of 47 passengers and nine cars, which is larger than the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry, with space for 19
passengers and three vehicles, according to the DOT.
The Chester-Hadlyme Ferry routinely sees more riders than the Rocky HillGlastonbury Ferry, with a prepandemic average of about 1,000 vehicles each weekday compared to 500 in Rocky Hill, according to
DOT reports.
The Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry is the oldest continually operating ferry in the nation, with its first ride in 1655, according to the DOT.