Temporary ferry contract will end unless agreement reached by Sept. 30

Ferry owner Lonnie Lewis heads to his backhoe which
he has been using, trying to fend off a swollen
Ohio River at the Cave In Rock Ferry.

Copyright 2018

The Crittenden Press

Just moments before he was to meet Tuesday with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KyTC) Deputy Secretary Paul Looney, Cave In Rock Ferry owner Lonnie Lewis was on the Kentucky shore operating a backhoe, trying to fend off the high waters of the Ohio River.

“People don’t see all of this part of it,” he said, referring to his work to keep the ferry going despite high water.

Lewis continues to negotiate with KyTC leaders with hopes of keeping the ferry open beyond the end of this month. The ferry was about to cease its service in July, but state officials reached a temporary agreement to keep it running for 90 days, yet at shorter hours.

For many years, the ferry had operated 16 hours a day, 365 days a year. But since July 1, it has operated on an abbreviated schedule, just 12 hours a day, 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Lewis says he needs about $150,000 more annually from both Kentucky and Illinois to get the ferry back to its previous service hours. The two states share in the annual cost of running the ferry. For almost 24 years, the states have paid $402,000 each.

Lewis met Tuesday with state transportation officials and local leaders, including Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom, at the ferry office in Cave In Rock, Ill. Now, there's another meeting scheduled for next Tuesday between Lewis and Kentucky's highest official in the transportation department, Secretary Greg Thomas.

Most are hoping that a long-term solution can be found to get the ferry’s hours back to where they were, yet there is a greater problem looming as the temporary agreement keeping the ferry running on the abbreviated scheduled ends Sunday, Sept. 30. There had been talks about extending the temporary agreement another 90 days, but so far, no contract has been let. If nothing changes, the ferry could close in a couple of weeks.

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