Departments of Transportation share some of the details about the car ferry to be implemented at Mississippi River crossing at Lansing
Car ferry landing areas ... The image above shows the area where the car ferry will help residents and visitors cross the Mississippi River at Lansing beginning sometime in early November, with the Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation yet to announce an official start date of that service. The ferry landing area on the Iowa side (pictured in the center of the above image) will be at the Lansing City Marina just south of the Tiki Bar, with entrance to the area (as marked above) from the north end of that marina area and exit from the south end, both along North Front Street. The ferry landing on the Wisconsin side will be to the south of the bridge construction area, as indicated in the lower right corner of the image above. An official start date for the car ferry is expected to be released by the Departments of Transportation in the near future. More information can also be found online at iowadot.gov/lansingbridge. Image courtesy of the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation (DOT) are partnering to offer a free car ferry across the Mississippi River during the closure of the Iowa 9/Wisconsin 82 bridge. This service connects Lansing with Wisconsin near De Soto and Ferryville while the new bridge is under construction.
According to DOT information available at iowadot.gov/lansingbridge, the ferry is expected to begin service in early November. The exact start date is anticipated to be announced by DOT officials in the near future.
The car ferry is expected to run seven days a week, starting each day at 5:30 a.m. from the Wisconsin landing area, with a first departure from the Iowa side expected to be at 5:45 a.m. The final trip of each will take place at 9 p.m. from the Wisconsin side, and at 9:15 p.m. from the Iowa side.
The car ferry is expected to be continuous throughout each day, and not necessarily on a fixed schedule. Participation will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and those wishing to utilize the car ferry are urged to arrive early, in accordance with their scheduled arrival time at their destination.
Ferry riders are encouraged to arrive approximately 15 minutes before the last run of the day. Space is not guaranteed if the ferry reaches capacity.
DELAYS/CLOSURES
DOT officials advise ferry users that service may be paused temporarily for weather, river conditions, commercial traffic, crew changes, refueling, ferry maintenance, or site maintenance. Extraordinary events (weather, river conditions, site closures, etc.) are expected, and the Iowa DOT, in conjunction with the Ferry Captain, will take said events into consideration in determining whether to increase or decrease the hours of operation. The ferry will operate in winter as long as the river remains navigable, but severe ice or extreme weather may still force temporary shutdowns.
Message signs at both landings will share updates on closures. Closure updates regarding the ferry can be found on the bridge website at iowadot.gov/lansingbridge, the bridge project’s Facebook page at Mississippi River Bridge at Lansing, and the 511 website and app.
A live web camera feed is anticipated to show activity at the Iowa and Wisconsin sites to show how busy each landing area may be. Motorists are reminded to check these cameras and 511ia.org before their trip or while their vehicle is stopped, and should not use their mobile device while driving.
There will be a planned closure that will include two to three days in December of this year for demolition of the Black Hawk Bridge. Iowa DOT and Wisconsin DOT will announce these closure dates, and will also announce any future closures due to construction as needed.
TIMEFRAMES AND OTHER OPTIONS
DOT officials say a typical crossing of the ferry should take about 15 minutes, including loading and unloading. They warn that trips may run longer if there are delays from railroad traffic, high traffic, commercial barges, or operational needs.
Access to the ferry is first-come, first-serve, with an anticipated capacity of 12 vehicles plus possible additional space for motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. The posted detour route for vehicles to travel to the south through Marquette/Prairie du Chien, WI or to the north through La Crescent, MN/La Crosse, WI takes about 60-70 minutes. Under normal circumstances, two round-trip ferry cycles could be completed in the same time it takes to use the detour.
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