The Burlington ferry is closed again for the 2022 season. Will it ever open again?
The ferry that runs from the Burlington's King Street dock to Port Kent, New York, is closed again for the 2022 season and won't run anytime soon according to the ferry company.
"With the ongoing staffing constraints and economic challenges, the decision has been made to discontinue this service for the near future," said operations manager Heather Stewart of Lake Champlain Transportation in an email Thursday.
Lake Champlain Transportation runs the Burlington ferry and two other ferry routes across Lake Champlain. This will be the third year the Burlington ferry has not run since the beginning of the pandemic. The ferry company moved its maintenance operation to Grand Isle last fall.
Although the ferry from Burlington to Port Kent is the most convenient for Burlingtonians, heading to New York by water, there are other options for getting across the lake:
Grand Isle to Plattsburg, New York, ferry: This ferry has 24-hour service, seven days a week and costs $11.25 one way for a driver and most passenger vehicles. Crossing time is about 14 minutes. Rates for passengers and other types of vehicles are on the website: https://ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/grand-isle-vt-to-plattsburgh-ny/rates-restrictions/
Charlotte to Essex, New York, ferry: This ferry runs from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and costs $11.25 one way for a driver and most passenger vehicles. Crossing time is about 25 minutes. Rates for passengers and other types of vehicles are on the website: https://ferries.com/vt-ny-ferry-routes/charlotte-vt-essex-ny/rates-restrictions/
Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: The Burlington ferry is closed again for the 2022 season
