Plan for ferry would link Rising Sun and Boone County

If everything goes without a hitch, a ferry could be operating between Rising Sun, Ind., and Boone County in about a year, according to one member of an Indiana group advocating the idea. The Rising Sun/Ohio County Port Authority presented a plan to Ohio County council members in Indiana late last month. Though the port authority said some funds are available through that organization, the lion's share of the $500,000 needed for the Ohio River ferry would have to come from the county, according to Port Authority member Bob Stutzman.

"It would be located below McVille in Boone County," Stutzman said. "We've tried for quite a while to do something like this over here because there are a lot of problems in getting through Lawrenceburg. It's just a bottleneck on (Route) 50 to get down the road to anywhere.

"So, we're talking $500,000 to get the approaches and the road and everything done. Then we have a riverboat pilot who is willing to run a ferry there. So it's a long ways from being done."

Stutzman said permits would be required from Kentucky, Indiana and the Army Corps of Engineers to change zoning and build roads for the project, which would run from a piece of farm land in McVille to East Belleview Lane in Rising Sun. He refused to divulge the name of the ferry operator.

The Grand Victoria Casino and Resort in Rising Sun would, of course, benefit from those traveling the shorter route between Kentucky and Indiana. Among them would be casino patrons from Ohio, who could take Interstate 275 to the Petersburg exit, then have a short drive to the ferry.

However, Stutzman said many Rising Sun residents are also strong supporters of the project because it will cut in half the time required for their frequent trips to Florence.

"From here to get to Florence is like about an hour now, but if you get across the river, it's just 14 miles to Florence," Stutzman said.

"To me it opens an avenue to people over here and people over there in Florence. We have no industry over here and our kids go over there to work, so to me it would open up things between both areas."

Stutzman said the port authority expects to hear the county's decision on the project in mid to late January. Then, if approved, permit applications can begin he said.