ST. JOHNS RIVER FERRY

Fender System Rehabilitation
Phases 1-5 Jacksonville, and
Atlantic Beach, Florida
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The St. Johns River Ferry is a car and passenger ferry connecting the north and south ends of Florida State Road A1A in Duval County, linking Mayport Village and Fort George Island.  The ferry crosses 2.5 miles inland of the river’s mouth and runs every half hour.

To date, C & D has completed five phases of renovations to the JTA Ferry System, with more than $23 million in modernization work completed. The scope of work has included repairs to the existing ferry slip walls, fenders, walkways, bulkheads, bridges, and gantries, as well as the construction of a new utility building and restroom facility.

Beginning in February 2016, the bulk of the Phase I work was completed, followed by the bulk of Phase II in January 2017. These initial phases included the rehabilitation and replacement of the St. Johns River Ferry’s existing fender system, which had deteriorated significantly after more than fifty years of exposure to the corrosive marine environment and was in critical need of replacement.

The fourth phase of the St. Johns River Ferry rehabilitation began in January 2021 as a Design-Build contract. The project consisted of rebuilding the two existing steel terminal bridges (75' x 14') on concrete piers and completing the slipway bulkheads at the Mayport and Fort George Landings. The project also included the complete civil reconstruction of the parking lots, including new traffic flow patterns, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, piping, retention ponds, restrooms, and a new storage building. New bulkheads with caps were designed and constructed outward of the existing bulkheads, which were permitted to remain in place. Phase IV was completed in March 2022.

The fifth and final phase to date was completed in March 2025. Throughout all of these projects, close coordination with Ferry Operations has been essential to minimize impacts to the public who patronize the ferry system.