By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Officials with the State Department of Transportation and Development said this morning that the Reserve-Edgard ferry will return to service this week after being closed for several weeks due to high water on the Mississippi River.

According to a DOTD release, the ferry is slated to open Tuesday at 5 a.m. with the first trip leaving from the Reserve landing. The landing was closed May 6 after water from the river engulfed the access road to the dock.

The ferry will continue to operate Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Motorists and passengers must pay $1 to leave from the Reserve side, but the trip is free coming from the Edgard side.

Before traveling, drivers can call the Toll-Free Ferry Information line at 1-888-613-3779 for the status of the ferry, or visit the “Ferry Status” page on the right-hand side of the DOTD Web site. Drivers can also access updates on the ferry through Twitter by visiting www.twitter.com/Reserve_Ferry. By creating a Twitter account, drivers can receive automatic updates on the ferry’s status via their Twitter Web page or text message.