SABULA, Iowa (AP) — A car ferry from Iowa to Illinois could run in about a month as residents wait for the reopening of a bridge connecting the two states. Iowa Department of Transportation officials tell the Telegraph Herald that the department has found a contractor to provide ferry services from Sabula, Iowa, to Savanna, Illinois. The February closure of a bridge north of Sabula stopped access to the U.S. 52/Illinois 64 bridge over the Mississippi River. Drivers have since been making a 36-mile detour.

Transportation Department district engineer Jim Schnoebelen says officials are considering a car ferry as an option. He says services would operate during daylight hours and the ferry could accommodate about 500 cars daily. Schnoebelen says officials are also considering offering a passenger ferry. Officials aim to have the new bridge open by Labor Day.