MERRIMAC, Wis. -- With winter announcing its arrival last week in the form of record-breaking snow, the Merrimac ferry is closing for the season.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation made the decision to halt operations for the season on Tuesday.

The ferry, which connects WIS 113 across the Wisconsin River between Columbia and Sauk County, stopped service on Nov. 29 because of the snowstorm and conditions have not improved enough to allow it to resume service.

The ferry began its operating season on March 31 this year. This season, the ferry made 39,734 crossing and carried a total of 208,823 vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

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