The Biden administration has announced a disbursement of US$200 million in grants for modernizing the ferry systems across the USA.
The grant initiative is strategically directed toward enhancing ferry services in rural communities, facilitating the acquisition of contemporary ferries, including electric vessels, and upgrading shore infrastructure to support low-emission ferry operations.
The Federal Transit Administration's Administrator, Nuria Fernandez, disclosed that grants will be allocated to twelve ferry operators spanning American Samoa and the states of California, Washington, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, New York-New Jersey, and North Carolina. The primary objective of these grants is to empower transit agencies to make essential investments, fostering reliability, improved connectivity with other transportation modes, and the restoration of aging ferry systems to a state of good repair.
In a news conference held at San Francisco's Ferry Building, Fernandez emphasized the significance of these grants in supporting transit agencies' efforts to meet operational demands and elevate the overall quality of ferry services.
As part of this grant initiative, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority is set to receive ~US$16 million for retrofitting two existing ferry floats located in Alameda and San Francisco.
Meanwhile, NYC's Department of Transportation will be granted ~US$7.5 million to construct shoreside terminal infrastructure, facilitating rapid charging for vessels serving Governors Island - an area exclusively accessible by ferry. The implementation of this new charging system is anticipated to yield benefits such as emissions reduction, decreased maintenance costs, and enhanced reliability for ferry riders.