Cape May / Lewes Ferry

More than 11 million vehicles and 34 million passengers have crossed the 17-mile mouth of Delaware Bay via vessels of Cape May-Lewes Ferry during its interesting 40-year history of operations that began July 1, 1964. Up to 100 vehicles and 1,000 passengers today can board modern ferries longer than football fields for an enjoyable 80-minute mini-cruise across the bay, with efficient access highways and modern terminals on each side.  Patrons now enjoy amenities onboard such as elevators, air conditioning, television, and safety measures not imagined 40 years ago.

In 1975, ferry operations were dramatically reduced from 24 hours a day to 16 hours per day.  Operational costs were substantially slashed while revenues continued to be steady.  Also in 1972 the Authority signed an $11.7 million contract with Todd Shipyards Corp. to construct 3 new ferry vessels.

As traffic and revenue increased, the ferry ran into capacity problems. The existing vessels could no longer handle the demand. With the introduction of casino gambling in Atlantic City, the problem worsened.

The Authority began plans for its fourth new vessel and in June 1981, the MV New Del, later renamed the MV Cape Henlopen, was put into service.  Four years later the fifth new vessel was put into service and named the MV Cape May.

In 1994, the Delaware River and Bay Authority initiated an aggressive vessel refurbishment plan.  The primary goal of the refurbishment plan was to improve customer service and comfort.  All five vessels in the present fleet were completely refurbished in a five-year, $54.4 million master plan: MV Delaware (1994), MV Twin Capes (1996), MV Cape May (1998), MV Cape Henlopen (1998) and MV New Jersey (1999).

Passenger terminals at both Lewes and Cape May have been dramatically upgraded and modernized since 2000 at cost of over $12 million.  Access highways, parking lots, support facilities, and virtually all other aspects of CMLF customer service have been maintained to state-of-the-art quality and performance.

After over 40 years of service, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry operation has become a reliable, quality transportation link in the mid-Atlantic region of the East Coast—earning its reputation as "The Best Boat Ride in America".

Good luck on this week's contest!

Information used on this page comes from: http://www.capemaylewesferry.com/history/history.html
Photos were taken by Lewes Realty, Inc. staff and are copyrighted by LRI.
Use of photos are only by written permission.