NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—The Balboa Island Ferry that carries pedestrians and vehicles across Newport Harbor and the Balboa Peninsula Fun Zone will be closed to cars for nearly a month beginning Jan. 3. Cars and pedestrians with their pets loaded onto the ferry on the brisk morning of Dec. 29, days before car access temporarily halts while an underground utility project occurs on the street that leads to the ferry boarding gate, Agate Avenue. Winter is the most ideal time for the ferry to shut down for cars since the season is less busy, said Seymour Beek, co-owner of the Balboa Island Ferry. “January is the slowest month,” Beek told The Epoch Times. “If it’s going to happen, the time to do it is now.” The ferry transports minimal cars during the winter in comparison to the summer when residents, visitors, and tourists head out toward the beach, he said. While …