Cave-in-Rock Ferry service suspended amid funding dispute

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

CRITTENDEN COUNTY, Ky. (KBSI) — The privately operated Cave-in-Rock Ferry has suspended service until a new funding agreement is reached with transportation officials in Kentucky and Illinois.

According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 1, the ferry operator halted service after declining a proposed two-year funding agreement offered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Ohio River Ferry Authority.

Motorists traveling between Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, and Crittenden County, Kentucky, are advised to use an alternate route until service resumes.

Transportation officials said the proposed agreement would have maintained state subsidies at current funding levels. Since 2018, combined reimbursements from Kentucky and Illinois have increased from $804,000 to more than $1.87 million for fiscal year 2026.

The transportation cabinet noted that two other state-supported ferry operations in Kentucky — the Dorena-Hickman Ferry and the Augusta Ferry — also charge fares in addition to receiving state funding.

The Cave-in-Rock Ferry will remain closed until further notice.