AASHTO Journal - TxDOT Offers Insights into its Ferry Operations

The Texas Department of Transportation recently provided insights into how its ferry operations deliver an important mobility connection for communities along the Gulf.

[Above photo by TxDOT]

For example, the agency noted that passengers from throughout southeast Texas board the Galveston Ferry each day to go between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula to reach jobs, school, hospitals and shopping.

During the summer months, however, the number of trips picks up significantly as vacationers seek refuge from the heat and head to beach communities like Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, and Gilchrist.

[Editor’s note: in March 2024 TxDOT put its very first “green” ferry – named the “Esperanza ‘Hope’ Andrade” after the very first female chair of the Texas Transportation Commission – into service on its Galveston-to-Port Bolivar route.]

TxDOT noted that its ferry system – which operates a total of seven vessels – is much more than just a transportation vehicle but rather a body of work filled with courageous men and women who keep the ships afloat 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The agency said the number of operational ferries put into service each day depends on several factors ranging from time of year, volume of traffic and maintenance schedules.

Each ferry boat captain and boat crew work eight hours and make eight round trips per day. Each round trip includes making landings on both the Galveston and Bolivar sides five days per week. This equates to more than 4,000 landings per year for each captain and crew member, the agency said.

“This is an enormous feat on just one day and we do this over a span of 50 plus weeks a year,” said Elworth Wilcox, Galveston ferry operations manager, in a blog post.

He explained that the number of trips does not tell the full story until the annual number of ferry passengers and vehicles are considered.

“Roughly five million passengers and 1.5 million vehicles get on the ferry every year,” Wilcox said. “This continues to show how essential these boats are to Texas transportation.”

TxDOT’s other ferry system in Port Aransas also performs a vital job for travelers in the Corpus Christi area. Like the Galveston Ferry, the Port Aransas route runs on a 24/7 schedule, operating between two and six ferries a day.

The route offers travelers on SH-361 a link across the Corpus Christi Channel between Aransas Pass, on the mainland, and Port Aransas, on Mustang Island.

TxDOT noted that 2024 proved to be a busy year for the Port Aransas system as its ferries carried 2.4 million vehicles and 3.8 million passengers.