CHALMETTE, La. — UPDATE: The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority announced on social media that the Chalmette ferry has returned to service as of 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 17.
As of Saturday night, the Chalmette-Lower Algiers ferry was still out of service after a person in a truck was seen rolling into the river at the terminal on the Chalmette side. The Coast Guard suspended the search for the person Saturday afternoon.
The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office announced the closure Saturday morning, saying the terminal would be “closed until further notice.” In a release, it said it received reports of a truck that “went over the Chalmette Ferry landing” a little after 2 a.m.
In its release, the Coast Guard said the truck was seen entering the river “near” the terminal. It also said overnight employees at Chalmette Refining reported they saw a person “swimming from the truck towards the West Bank.” The Guard temporarily stopped all traffic in that stretch of the river and searched for the person using a boat and helicopter. A little before 4:30 p.m. Saturday, it suspended the search. It added that a company is currently tasked with recovering the truck from the river.
The ferry is the only way across the river for miles. Drivers unaware that it was not running turned around at the terminal all day Saturday. Charmari Lee takes the ferry “every couple of days” and was on the way to the West Bank. “I don’t know how we’re gonna get there now, you know the traffic at this time,” Lee added.
Another, Leon Landroy, is a plumber and was “on [his] way to a job across the river.” After seeing the closure he said he would have to go “all the way around to get to Algiers.”
He is one of many commuters who take the ferry. The Chalmette terminal is right next to Chalmette Refining, which employs hundreds of people, the St. Bernard Parish Jail, and a cluster of businesses on West St. Bernard Highway.
One is Meraux Food Store, owned by Billal Jaber. He said it is “a mix” of people who take the ferry and there are “a lot of workers that come from the West Bank and go to the West Bank.” He and other business owners WWL Louisiana spoke to Saturday, expect to lose business if the ferry remains out of service. “I’m sure we’re going to see a hit in breakfast sales,” he said, then when refinery workers clock out “I’m sure we’re gonna see a dip in sales for that too.”
Despite the inconvenience of the ferry closure, top of mind for everyone was the person seen going into the river. “I just hope they’re safe,” said Landroy.
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