​Green River Ferry To Open Temporarily To Vehicles

Work On South Ramp Still Needed

Green River Ferry. (photo courtesy MCNP)

Edmonson Voice Report:
Mammoth Cave National Park will temporarily reopen the Green River Ferry and Green River Ferry Road to vehicular traffic on Monday, July 6 for service seven days a week from 6 am to 9:55 pm CST. The newly retrofitted ferry was certified for service by the United States Coast Guard, but construction on the south ramp of the vehicle crossing is still needed. Commuters should anticipate an additional closure of the ferry later in the summer.

“The updated ferry boat should improve the safety and efficiency of the ferry service,” said Superintendent Barclay Trimble. “The boat will sit higher in the water, carry more weight, and have longer ramps to reach further up the shoreline. Even though more work is needed on the south side ramps, the park does not want to impact visitors or our local community any more than possible. We are trying to set the construction date for the south ramp for the latest day possible so the project can be completed before the water rises in mid-November. We know the ferry is essential to many commuters and our neighboring businesses and we want to get back to normal operations.”

The work that remains for the south side of the ferry crossings is to extend the vehicle ramp thirty feet further into the Green River and repave both the north and south ramps. The project will include the installation of a coffer dam on the south side which will require the ferry to again suspend operations.

Kovilic Construction Company (Kovilic) has experienced several delays during the completion of the ferry ramp work which has closed the ferry service and roadway since August 2019. Kovilic submitted a work schedule extension request in November 2019 to the Federal Highway Administration Eastern Lands Highway Division who is overseeing the construction project. The park will continue to work with Kovilic to determine the date when they will resume the ramp improvement operations and will notify the public at that time.

MCNP first announced that the anticipated start of construction on June 17, 2019 was delayed until July 8, 2019; however, they also said that the initial projected completion date would not change, which was originally November 15, 2019. That date was also pushed back to early spring during delays this past winter. 

The Green River Ferry area serves as a river crossing location, river access for canoes and kayaks, boat ramp for fishing boats, and parking area for trail and river users. During periods of low and high water, extended closures of the Green River Ferry create negative impacts which affect local citizens, visitors, and park staff by presenting safety problems, limiting access to recreational resources, and disrupting frequently used travel routes. The ramp extension project will extend the current vehicle access ramps into the Green River which should allow the ferry boat to operate during periods of low water levels.  

For more information on the Green River Ferry improvement projects and the Green River Ferry and road closure, please visit the park’s website www.nps.gov/maca/green-river-ferry-improvement-projects.htm or call the Green River Ferry Hotline at 270-758-2166 for current ferry operating status.