Senate Minority Whip Kathleen Riebe, a Cottonwood Heights Democrat who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee, told a legislative panel on Wednesday, Aug. 19, that she cannot support continued funding for the Charles Hall Ferry on Lake Powell. The full committee then voted unanimously to recommend the state end the 25-year-old service.

"I wish the ferry was more successful, but I can't support it with this price tag," Riebe said at the hearing of the Utah Legislature Transportation Interim Committee, according to KSL.

The ferry, which shuttled motorists on a 4-mile, 25-minute crossing between Bullfrog and Halls Crossing, has been out of service since Feb. 10, 2025. The crossing saved drivers a 143-mile, 2.5-hour detour. Lake Powell's water level has dropped to roughly 3,519 feet above sea level, about 46 feet below what UDOT needs to operate its existing boat ramps, according to UDOT Region 4 Deputy Director Jared Beard's testimony at the hearing.

That record-low elevation, reported by AccuWeather, broke the previous all-time low set in April 2023. Even the most optimistic federal projections don't show the reservoir reaching operable levels until April 2028.

UDOT recommends selling

UDOT presented lawmakers with three paths forward, according to the Salt Lake Tribune: decommission and sell the ferry, build a new low-water ramp for at least $20 million plus $1.5 million in hull repairs, or construct a $650 million bridge between Bullfrog and Halls Crossing.

Beard recommended selling. The ferry generated just $30,000 in revenue against a $487,000 annual budget in fiscal year 2025. Maintenance and insurance on the stranded vessel still cost about $200,000 a year, covered by existing federal funds. Beard told the committee there's never a bad day on the lake, but from a logistics standpoint, the state should seriously consider discontinuing the service.

The committee agreed. Members directed UDOT to return later in 2026 with a formal proposal to sell the vessel. Because the ferry was purchased with federal funds, any sale proceeds must go toward federally supported projects, though the committee indicated the money could benefit transportation needs in southeast Utah.

Ridership had already fallen

UDOT commissioned the ferry in 2001. At its peak in 2008, it made 11,500 crossings. By 2018, that number had fallen to about 7,500. The ferry didn't operate at all in 2022 or 2023 due to low water. It restarted in July 2024 but ran only seven months before the captain hit a rock, causing major damage.

Rep. Michael Petersen, R-North Logan, told the committee the service has run its course and that prolonging it isn't a good use of taxpayer dollars.

Riebe represents Senate District 15, which includes Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, Sandy and Brighton. No specific date has been set for UDOT's return to the committee with a sell proposal.