Mississippi Considers Free Ferry Services

Officials at the Mississippi Department of Transportation have hired a consultant to determine whether to offer free ferry services while the two U.S. 90 bridges destroyed by Hurricane Katrina are rebuilt. Experts from Pacific Marine Technology Services of Bainbridge Island, Wash., are expected to be on the Coast this week. The company, which is to be paid about $50,000, will figure out where and how much it could cost to operate ferries. The Federal Highway Administration will pay for ferry costs, including vessels, crews and dock construction, while the bridges are built, Jackson Clarion Ledger reported. Consultants are to look at areas between Ocean Springs and Biloxi that had been linked by the Biloxi Bay Bridge. They also will investigate places near Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian that had been connected by the St. Louis Bay Bridge. Costs could range between $300,000 and $2m per month. (Source: Jackson Clarion Ledger)