This project will replace the aging vessel for the St. Johns River Ferry service. The service connects State Route A1A from the Village of Mayport on the south side of the river to Fort George Island on the north side.

The Jean Ribault, which is the current Ferry vessel, was constructed in 1995. A ferry vessel of this type has an expected useful life of 30 to 40 years. The primary issue facing the ferry service at this time is that when the only ferry vessel, the Jean Ribault, is pulled from service for maintenance, overall ferry service must be suspended. When the service is suspended, the detour is approximately 24 miles by car via I-295 over the Dame Point Bridge. The Jean Ribault will be maintained as a relief vessel when the new vessel is pulled from service for maintenance, ensuring on-going reliability. The new ferry will be of similar size and capacity, but JTA is looking at options that will meet the regional transportation and net-zero emissions goals.

The JTA met with the ferry operator, Hornblower Marine Services (HMS), and the Mayport Waterfront Partnership to gain feedback, and held a public workshop to collect comments on November 30, 2023. View the presentation here.