The Cape May–Lewes Ferry is a ferry system on the East Coast of the United States that traverses a 17-mile (27 km) crossing of the Delaware Bay connecting North Cape May, New Jersey with Lewes, Delaware. The ferry constitutes a portion of U.S. Route 9 and is the final crossing of the Delaware River-Delaware Bay waterway before it meets the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of only two year-round direct crossings between Delaware and New Jersey, the other being the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
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Cape May–Lewes Ferry in the context of Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States, lying between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. Approximately 782 square miles (2,030 km) in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean.
The bay is bordered inland by the states of Delaware and New Jersey, and its mouth is framed by Cape Henlopen in Delaware and Cape May in New Jersey, on the Atlantic. Delaware Bay is bordered by six counties: Sussex, Kent, and New Castle in Delaware, and Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem in New Jersey. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry crosses Delaware Bay from North Cape May, New Jersey, to Lewes, Delaware. The bay's ports are managed by the Delaware River and Bay Authority.
Cape May–Lewes Ferry in the context of U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between Lewes, Delaware, and North Cape May, New Jersey); the other is US 10. US 9 is signed east–west in Delaware and north–south on the rest of its route. The southern terminus of the route is in Laurel, Delaware, at an intersection of US 13, while the highway's northern terminus is at an interchange with I-87 in Champlain, New York, where the old roadway continues north as the unsigned New York State Route 971B (NY 971B) (0.46 m/0.74 km), which ends in a cul-de-sac just short of the Canadian border.
Cape May–Lewes Ferry in the context of North Cape May, New Jersey
North Cape May is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lower Township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 United States census, the CDP's population was 3,226. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry departs from the area. North Cape May is mostly a residential community, with no hotels but many vacation homes. Many people retire to the community.
North Cape May had existed as an independent borough, formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 19, 1928, from portions of Lower Township. The borough remained independent until April 30, 1945, when it was returned to Lower Township. The borough had a population of 5 at the 1930 Census, which increased to 8 by 1940.
Cape May–Lewes Ferry in the context of Delaware River and Bay Authority
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) is a bi-state government agency of the U.S. states of Delaware and New Jersey established by an interstate compact in 1962.
The authority operates the Delaware Memorial twin suspension bridges, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry between Cape May, New Jersey, and Lewes, Delaware, the Forts Ferry Crossing, and the Salem County Business Center.