Chalmette-Lower Algiers Ferry (Chalmette, LA)

The newest of the Mississippi River ferry services in the greater New Orleans region, the Chalmette-Lower Algiers Ferry takes vehicles and pedestrians between the southern terminus of LA Highway 47 in Chalmette and Patterson Drive in southeastern Algiers in the city of New Orleans. Like its neighboring ferries, this crossing requires the payment of a toll and ferries depart from each landing every 30 minutes on most days.

The ferry service at this location was initiated in 1969 and has changed little over the years. The ferry's most profitable and useful years were those immediately after its opening, as the communities on the east bank of the Mississippi River in St. Bernard Parish considered this crossing to be a relief route for the often-congested Greater New Orleans Bridge (it had not yet been renamed "Crescent City Connection"), as that bridge had not yet seen the massive expansion of the 1980s that would modernize that crossing. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, it was often the case that the fastest route between the Westbank communities and those of St. Bernard Parish involved crossing the river either here in Chalmette or at the next ferry crossing downriver in Belle Chasse.

In the years since the completion of the Crescent City Connection parallel span in 1988 and the additional improvements to the city's expressway system that were largely built simultaneously, traffic volume at this ferry dropped substantially, however it's still a useful, scenic piece of the cross-river puzzle for traffic unwilling to navigate downtown New Orleans in order to cross the Mississippi River.

The following pictures were taken during my westbound crossing of the Chalmette Ferry in January 2017. Click on each photo to see a larger version.

The following pictures were taken in November 2023 and showcase the Lower Algiers approach to the ferry landing on Patterson Drive. Click on each photo to see a larger version.

Dashcam video of the westbound trip over the Chalmette-Lower Algiers Ferry was filmed in January 2017 for the 'roadwaywiz' YouTube channel and is available for viewing at the link below:

How To Get There:

Bridges, Crossings, and Structures of the Lower Mississippi River
Next Crossing upriver: Canal Street-Algiers Point Ferry (New Orleans, LA)
Next Crossing downriver: Belle Chasse-Scarsdale Ferry (Belle Chasse, LA)
Return to the Bridges of the Lower Mississippi River Home Page
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