High Water Levels Dock State Ferry ... Again

ROCKY HILL, CT — High water levels on the Connecticut River have again closed the historic ferry between Rocky Hill and Glastonbury, officials from the state Department of Transportation said Monday.

The ferry normally begins running on April 1. It was closed for more than a month, but then began running when the water levels went down. The levels were back up Monday, DOT officials said.

It prompted another closure "until further notice," DOT officials said.

It's a matter of creating a bad angle for the ramp on which vehicles load and unload, state DOT officials have said about the water levels.

The high water also creates a swifter current and a greater chance that the barge-and-tug ferry would encounter dangerous, floating debris, state DOT officials said.

Click here for fare and normal operating schedules.

The nation's oldest continuously operating ferry service crosses the Connecticut River between Rocky Hill and Glastonbury. The ferry dates back to 1655. The ferry operates on a tug-and-tow system with a small tugboat - the Cumberland - pulling a barge - the Hollister III. The rig accommodates three cars and about 15 motorcycles.

The original ferry was a small raft pushed across the river using long poles. In 1876, the ferry was “modernized” into a steam-driven craft, DOT officials said.

The Cumberland was commissioned in 1955 and there have been three versions of the Hollister.

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