The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded nearly $300 million in ferry grants to support 18 projects in 14 states, with nearly two-thirds of all funding going to support projects in Alaska.
The awards, announced earlier this fall, represent funding from three different grant programs, all of which allocate money from the federal infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. Congress in 2021. Eight of the 18 funded projects support hybrid or electric vessels or related shoreside charging.
“This historic funding for FTA’s Ferry Programs will enhance ways for people to travel by water,” Veronica Vanterpool, the agency’s acting administrator, said in a prepared statement. “We applaud ferry agencies for taking the big step toward electrification, increasing reliability, and bringing their aging ferry systems into a state of good repair.”
Funding for projects in Alaska include $106 million to replace the 60-year-old ferry Tustumena on the Alaska Marine Highway System with a new diesel-electric vessel; $66 million to further bolster the marine highway system; and $5 million to install wireless internet in its ferries and terminals.
Alaska state officials say the money, combined with prior grants, fully funds construction on a replacement for Tustumena, which will cost about $319 million.
Multiple grant awards went to ferry systems working to build hybrid or all-electric ferries. The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), which serves San Francisco Bay Area passengers, received $11.5 million toward construction of two new electric catamaran ferries. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Florida will receive $15.6 million toward the acquisition of a new diesel-electric ferry. A regional transportation agency for Rock Island County, Ill., will get $8 million to build and support charging for a zero-emission ferry that will cross the Mississippi River.
And in Maryland, Anne Arundel County will receive $3.9 million for electric ferries that will connect Baltimore and Annapolis, while Chatham Area Transit in Savannah, Ga., will receive about $700,000 to install charging stations for two new diesel-electric vessels that will enter the fleet later this year.
In some cases, the funding allowed operators to pursue greener technology than would otherwise be the case. The $20 million received by the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) will support construction of a new diesel-electric hybrid ferry connecting Lewes, Del., and Cape May, N.J.
American ferries make 56 million trips a year, moving people, vehicles and cargo in communities large and small. FTA ferry grant programs are intended to improve these services and support local economies.