We have ferry service across the James River from Surry County to Jamestown, VA, and visa versa. It’s free; used to have a toll, but that stopped about 8 years ago. We do have Homeland Security, on both sides of the river. It’s good, with armed folks and random checks of vehicles. Any checks are done quickly and usually before a ferry arrives, to further reduce the inconvenience. The most interesting aspect is the checkpoint on the Jamestown side. There one finds a Porta John, but larger size, like a small igloo: it’s handicapped accessible! Must be a federal requirement. There’s a little blue handicap sign beside the door.
Now, there are 3 ferrys, usually. Each one can carry about 60 cars and take about 15 minutes to cross. A terrorist might blow one up in the shipping channel and stop a few container ships and barge loads of gravel. Or you could hijack one and do something with it downstream, but the travel time would allow plenty of time for an appropriate response.
In this area, in addition to military bases, airports, and a nuclear power plant all of which have excellent security, we have a half dozen bridges and causeways on major roadways. Several major tunnels also exist. None of these have any security, which would be most difficult to provide. Should that make you nervous you can always take the ferry!
