Algiers Ferry — The Oldest Crossing on the Mississippi

The ferry has run since 1827, the oldest continuous crossing on the Mississippi. For two dollars, you get six minutes with the best skyline view in the city. Locals commute. Tourists ride for the view. Before the Crescent City Connection opened in 1958, the ferry was the only way across. The first Algiers terminal collapsed into the river in 1920. A replacement burned on January 22, 1952. When the bridge came, public advocacy kept the Algiers Point–Canal Street passenger service alive. The ferry ran free for decades. Until 2013, toll revenues from the Crescent City Connection bridges funded operations. When toll collection ended that year, the Crescent City Connection Division was dissolved. The fiscal crisis cut service hours and killed the Canal Street–Gretna Ferry route. Responsibility transferred to the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority in 2014, when the two-dollar fare appeared. Hurricane Katrina reduced ferry hours in 2005. The New Orleans City Council and Friends of the Ferry pushed for restoration. Operating hours were extended again in August 2007. In 2017 the RTA ordered two new pedestrian-only ferries, designed by BMT and built by Metal Shark in Jeanerette, Louisiana. The 105-foot aluminum catamarans each carry 149 passengers, funded partly through a $15.2 million Federal Transit Administration award and $3.8 million from the state. RTA2 entered revenue service on October 10, 2020. RTA1 followed on December 15, 2020. The old terminals, built for vehicles and pedestrians, closed in 2020. A new Canal Street Ferry Terminal opened in August 2023—a $43.5 million ADA-compliant facility with a 4,300-square-foot terminal building, a 13,200-square-foot wharf, and a pedestrian bridge designed to connect with nearby transit. In 2025, the RTA began a $26 million renovation of the Algiers terminal, funded primarily through approximately $23 million in Federal Transit Administration grants. The project includes a covered boarding ramp, public restrooms, and a community plaza with space for events, dining, and retail. Construction is expected to be completed by early 2027. The Algiers terminal is walking distance from Algiers Point's historic houses and courthouse. Ride at sunset for the skyline.