WICOMICO COUNTY, MD - Winter weather delayed the return of the Wicomico County Upper Ferry.
The service was closed on June 27 for a complete overhaul. Acting Public Works Director Adam Corry told WBOC on Thursday some of what this work entailed.
"This is where we do our bottom paint, our pilot house, some engine works and transmission work and the surfacing on the deck, things of that nature,” Corry said.
Repairs on the vessel were being performed in Somerset County, where it was scheduled to be transported by crane back to the Wicomico River at the start of the year.
The Wicomico County Department of Public Works was unable to obtain a permit for that piece of equipment from the Maryland Department of Transportation because of snowfall in January.
The deep freeze that followed further delayed the ferry’s return.
"To this day, prevented us from actually being able to get the ferry back overboard and then delivered on the Wicomico River."
Like many of Delmarva’s waterways, Wednesday’s warm-up helped clear ice from the Wicomico River. County officials told WBOC that, if the weather cooperates, the ferry should return by the third week of February.
For nearby neighbors and business owners like Kelly Draper, this is welcome news.
"Customers tell me it takes them like an additional 30 minutes to go all the way around,” Draper said.
County officials told WBOC they are working to prevent prolonged delays like this in the future.