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Ferry openings delayed due to flooding of the Connecticut River

The historic Rocky Hill-Glastonbury and Chester-Hadlyme ferries usually open April 1. High water has prevented service from starting so far.

CONNECTICUT, USA — The Connecticut River has been high all month long, lasting above flood stage since Friday in Hartford.

Due to the river being too swollen, the historic Rocky Hill-Glastonbury and Chester-Hadlyme ferries were unable to begin operating. They usually start seasonal service April 1.

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"The ferry landings in both Chester-Hadlyme and Rocky Hill-Glastonbury are completely underwater. Cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, there's no safe way for them to board the ferry. So we have to keep them closed," Josh Morgan, communications director for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said.

It is the fourth time in the last year that the river has swelled above its banks.

Credit: FOX61/USGS
Connecticut River at Hartford, water levels since April 2023.

Last summer, record rainfall in July caused several days of flooding up and down the river, from Vermont to Connecticut.

This time, the cause of the flooding is more typical. It has been very wet, and now the snowpack in northern New England is melting. All of that water is working through the river systems, much of it coming south through Connecticut.

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"We are really hopeful by the end of the month both services will be up and running," Morgan said.

Ryan Breton is a meteorologist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at rbreton@fox61.com. Follow him on FacebookX and Instagram.

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