MDOT set to let ferry contract

MDOT expects to award the contract for operation of the ferry across the Bay of St. Louis to an Indiana company that runs two ferries in Alabama, it announced Tuesday.

Hornblower Marine Services, which opened its Gees Bend Ferry about an hour southwest of Montgomery on Monday, beat one other company in the competition. The Transportation Commission meets Tuesday, Sept. 26.

The state transportation agency hopes the ferry can open on or about Nov. 1. It will be free to ride, with the tab picked up by the Federal Highway Department’s Emergency Relief Fund.