Beyond bikes, cars and buses, city and county residents will soon have another mode of transportation to consider: ferryboat. A "pedestrian ferry" is currently being developed that will cross the Rivanna River and allow access between Darden Towe Park and Pen Park.
The aptly named Rivanna River Ferry is part of phase one of the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center, a proposal slated for Darden Towe Park to educate the public about the Lewis and Clark expedition. The center has received $150,000 in enhancement funds from VDOT, which includes funding for the ferry, and is also developing a visitor’s center and extended trail systems.
 A river runs through it: Travelers wanting to get from Darden Towe to Pen Park can soon come and see the riverman—or perhaps a river coin-operated machine. |
The center has secured an 18-acre landsite for its visitor’s center, with the ferry allowing visitors to travel from the new trails and facilities to the Rivanna Trails system across the river in Pen Park.
"Access across waterways is one of the things that I think trail and greenway planners are dealing with, since either existing connections are along busy highways unsafe for pedestrian use," says Dan Mahon, greenways/blueways supervisor for Albemarle County.
There is no budget impact to the county or city—the project has been facilitated by a number of donations from individuals, businesses and foundations.
County staff still haven’t figured out what the ferry will look like, or how it will work. "I’ve been collecting historical images of various types," says Mahon. "We’ve actually thought we could build a replica of the canal boats that used to work on the river, [but we’ve also] looked at existing models in Europe and a few examples here in the states within various parks." Alexandria Searls, director of operations for the Lewis and Clark center, wants to incorporate a dock into the ferry design so that visitors can observe the riverbank surroundings without disturbing the environment. No developer has yet been selected.
Another issue is who will run the ferry. Volunteers are one option, though some pedestrian ferries in operation today are coin-operated and some are self-service, says Mahon.
Searls says that construction on the ferry should begin next fall.
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