Traffic & Transit
Mechanical Issues Still Plaguing Historic Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry
The historic Connecticut River Ferry was still stranded at the dock Monday.
ROCKY HILL, CT — The Rocky Hill-Glastonbury ferry began the week out of commission again because of mechanical issues, Connecticut Department of Transportation officials said.
It has been docked for several weeks now.
No update on the repair status was available.
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The ferry connects Glastonbury and Rocky Hill with a 5-minute ride across the Connecticut River. It's actually part of state Route 160, which begins at Route 15 in Berlin and ends at Route 17 in Glastonbury. To get from one end of the route to the other requires a ride on the ferry.
The Glastonbury-Rocky Hill 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.
Find out what's happening in Rocky Hillfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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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