Lynchburg Ferry: two years later, no new boats

It's hard to continue operating a historic ferry. If you don't believe us, just ask Harris County, which found out no one really wants to build new boats for the Lynchburg Ferry route — and when they do, it could cost nearly twice as much as officials expected.

The county Commissioners Court agreed two years ago to spend $3 million on new boats for the ferry route, which has been in operation since 1822 (before you get really worried, the boats themselves are just 42 years old), but it seems shipyards are busy with work related to last year's hurricanes and oil drilling in the Gulf, so they don't want to bother with building a couple of little ferry boats. The cost of the job, when it happens, is now estimated at between $4 and $5 million rather than the $2.5 or $3 million initially expected. So for the near future, at least, the old boats will stay in operation — don't worry, they're regularly inspected to make sure they're safe. And it's kind of fun riding across the Ship Channel on the marine equivalent of a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle.

For years, the county has been wondering whether it should continue the ferry service, which takes about 1,450 vehicles a day back and forth between San Jacinto State Park and Baytown. The service is free to drivers, but costs the county around $5 per car — county Judge Robert Eckels suggested posting signs on the boats letting people know how much it costs the county to ferry them across the channel, but Houstonist isn't sure exactly what that would achieve.