Waterway | St. Johns River |
---|---|
Transit type | Barge |
Route | Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway |
Carries | Automobiles |
Operator | Fort Gates Fish Camp |
Began operation | 1853 |
System length | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
Travel time | 10 minutes |
Yearly vehicles | 2500 |
Route ID | 764039 / 764043 [1] |
The Fort Gates Ferry is an auto ferry that crosses the St. Johns River in Florida, downstream of Lake George and just upstream of Little Lake George, at Fruitland Cove. The oldest operating ferry in Florida, it acts as part of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.
Ferry is not operating after Hurricane Irma, awaiting repair.
The Fort Gates Ferry, also known as the Gateway Ferry, [2] connects Fort Gates Ferry Road near Pomona Park on the east bank of the St. Johns River with Forest Service Road 43, leading to Salt Springs in the Ocala National Forest, on the west bank. The ferry first entered service in 1853, [3] and it is the oldest ferry service still operating in Florida. [4] It was operated as a military ferry by the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. [5]
The current ferry began operation in 1914, [6] and is one of four still operating in the state of Florida. [4] The ferry, part of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway, [7] consists of a barge pushed by a tugboat converted from a 1910 Sharpie sailboat. [8] It has a weight limit of 15 tonnes (15 long tons; 17 short tons). [7] The tugboat, named Too Wendy, [9] is 18 feet (5.5 m) long and is powered by a 65 horsepower (48 kW) diesel engine. [10] Hurricane Gladys sunk the ferry's tugboat in 1968; service was suspended until it could be raised. [11]
In 1972, an automobile commercial featuring Paul Newman was filmed on the Fort Gates Ferry. [4] In 2009 the ferry was part of a route named the "World's Worst Commute" in a contest run to promote a brand of motor oil. [12]
The ferry, with a toll of $10, [7] is one of four in Florida. [4] Operating daily except Tuesday during daylight hours, it has an estimated annual traffic load of 1,500 vehicles per year. [4] The ferry takes ten minutes to cross the one mile (1.6 km) span of the river; [4] it can carry two to four pickup trucks, a dozen motorcycles, or 38 dirt bikes or bicycles. [10]
The ferry is privately operated by the Fort Gates Fish Camp, and is funded by Putnam County as a public transportation service; the subsidy was set at $10,000 per year in 1995. [10] Putnum County is planning on replacing the ferry landings with new structures. [13]
Putnam County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,364. Its county seat is Palatka.
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 331,298. Its county seat is Ocala.
Palatka is a city in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 72,893 residents. The city is also home to St. Johns River State College, St. Johns River Water Management District Headquarters, and Ravine Gardens State Park. The area is well known for its local festivals, most notably the Florida Azalea Festival and the Blue Crab Festival.
The Silver Palm is the name of two former passenger trains operated by Amtrak serving the U.S. state of Florida. The original Silver Palm was an intrastate train, operating between Miami and Tampa. Service began in 1982 and ended in 1985. The second was an extension of the existing Palmetto service in the late 1990s.
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border, a few miles northwest of Miami, to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 begins its national northward journey near Miami, running along the western parts of the Miami metropolitan area before traveling westward across Alligator Alley, resuming its northward direction in Naples, running along Florida's Gulf Coast, passing the cities of Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Venice, Sarasota, and the Tampa Bay Area, before turning inward towards Ocala, Gainesville, and Lake City before leaving the state and entering Georgia. I-75 runs for 471 miles (758 km) in Florida, making it the longest Interstate in the state and also the longest in any state east of the Mississippi River. The Interstate maintains a speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h) for its entire length in Florida.
The Silver River is a short spring-fed river located east of Ocala in Marion County, Florida. Fed by Silver Springs, it connects the springs to the Ocklawaha River, passing through a pristine woodland environment. The river was probably named for its silvery appearance.
Transportation in Florida includes a variety of options, including Interstate Highways, United States and Florida State Roads, Amtrak and commuter rail services, airports, public transportation, and ports, in a number of the state's counties and regions.
The Florida Southern Railway was a railroad that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railway when it was built along with the South Florida Railroad and the Orange Belt Railway. The Florida Southern was originally chartered to run from Lake City south through central Florida to Charlotte Harbor. However, with the influence of Henry B. Plant, it operated with two discontinuous segments that would make up the Plant System, which would later become part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
North Florida is a region of the Southern U.S. state of Florida, comprising the northernmost part of the state. It is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regions, along with South Florida and Central Florida. It includes Jacksonville and nearby localities in Northeast Florida, an interior region known as North Central Florida, and the Florida Panhandle.
Halifax Media Group was a U.S. newspaper company owning more than 30 newspapers in five Southeastern U.S. States. It was founded on March 31, 2010 when a group of investors purchased The Daytona Beach News-Journal from the Davidson family, who had owned it for 82 years. On December 27, 2011, The New York Times Company announced it was selling its Regional Media Group to Halifax Media Group. On June 1, 2012, Halifax announced it was acquiring the Florida and North Carolina papers of Freedom Communications. In 2013, Halifax acquired three newspapers from HarborPoint Media: the Daily Commercial of Leesburg, Florida, the South Lake Press in Clermont, Florida and News-Sun of Sebring, Florida. In 2014, Halifax acquired the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Massachusetts. In November 2014, New Media Investment Group announced its acquisition of Halifax. The company was created with the assistance of Stephens Inc. In 2019 GateHouse Media merged with Gannett,Inc.
The Drayton Island Ferry is an auto ferry that crosses the St. Johns River in Putnam County, Florida, connecting Georgetown on the eastern bank with Drayton Island, located in the middle of the river at the north end of Lake George. It provides the only public access to the island.
The Astor Bridge is a single-leaf bascule bridge located in Astor, Florida that carries State Road 40 over the St. Johns River. The first bridge on the site was built in 1926; the current bridge dates from 1980.
Orange Creek is a small stream in north-central and northeast Florida, that drains Orange Lake to the Ocklawaha River. Privately owned Orange Springs provides part of the water volume.