Bolivar Bridge

Service between Galveston and Port Bolivar is currently provided via a ferry operated by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) linking both halves of State Highway 87.Due to the rapid growth of the Greater Houston area (which includes Galveston County), the commute time required to board the ferry has rapidly increased (during the summer the wait can be up to two hours), which slows emergency response times (there are few emergency services, and no hospitals, on the peninsula, thus requiring trips to Galveston).The ferry is unusable in the event a tropical storm or hurricane approaches the area, thus forcing evacuating traffic onto the other two egresses from the island (Interstate 45 and a two-lane toll bridge on the west end of the island), and projected ship traffic in Galveston Bay (including the Houston Ship Channel) is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years.[citation needed] The current fleet of ferries comprises seven vessels, the newest of which is the Esperanza "Hope" Andrade which entered service in the spring of 2024.[2] After numerous environmental studies, TxDOT worked with the Houston-Galveston district and made a final plan to cancel the project.
Dewitt C. Greer Boat at Bolivar Ferry
CoordinatesNamed forGalveston IslandBolivar PeninsulaUnited StatesGalvestonPort BolivarTexas Department of TransportationState Highway 87Greater HoustonGalveston CountyInterstate 45Galveston BayHouston Ship ChannelGibb GilchristRobert C. LanierRobert H. DedmanAshton VillaBalinese RoomBishop's PalaceEast End Historic DistrictElissa (ship)Fort CrockettGalveston Island Historic Pleasure PierGalveston Island State ParkGalveston Pirate SCGalveston Railroad MuseumGalveston SeawallGalveston Island TrolleyGrand 1894 Opera HouseLone Star Flight MuseumMoody GardensMoody PlazaOcean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & MuseumOld RedRosenberg LibrarySts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox ChurchSt. Mary Cathedral BasilicaSchlitterbahn Galveston Island WaterparkSeawolf ParkStrand Historic District1861 United States Customs and Federal Court HouseUSS CavallaUSS StewartAmerican National Insurance CompanyGalveston RailroadIsland TransitMoody FoundationMoody National BankPort of GalvestonTexas First BankScholes International Airport at GalvestonHistoryBattle of Galveston HarborFirst Battle of GalvestonSecond Battle of GalvestonThe Beach HotelFort Point LightGalveston Hurricane of 1900Galveston Hurricane of 1915Galveston MovementJewish historyKarankawa IndiansFree State of GalvestonGulf, Colorado and Santa Fe RailwayGulf of MexicoSan Luis PassWest BayEducationGalveston CollegeGalveston ISDBall HSCentral HSO'Connell College Preparatory SchoolTexas A&M University at GalvestonUniversity of Texas Medical BranchDominican HSGalveston National Biocontainment LaboratoryJohn Sealy HospitalSealy & Smith FoundationShriners Hospital for ChildrenTransitional Learning CenterThe Daily NewsKLTJ (Daystar)KTMD (Telemundo)AM radioFM radioVHF radioGalveston CausewayList of museums in the Texas Gulf CoastA Weekend in SeptemberBattle on the BayMythic Galveston