On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced more than $220 million in grants to modernize American ferry systems.
Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure law, the program focuses on expanding ferry service in rural communities, helping communities modernize their ferry boats and upgrading short infrastructure.
“For many communities around the U.S., ferries are an important way to access jobs, medical care, and vital goods and services—like in communities I visited this summer in Alaska, Wisconsin, and Washington state,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “With these grants, from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we will be able to connect more people to the opportunities and resources they need to thrive even when their main route is a waterway rather than a road.”
The FTA said it had awarded 13 grants in eight states and American Samoa to support projects that replace old vessels, expand fleets and build new terminals and docks. The grants come from two programs – the FTA’s Ferry Service for Rural Communities program, which provide approximately $170 million for six ferry service projects in rural areas; and the FTA’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program, which provided $50.1 million to establish seven new ferry services or repair and modernize existing ones in urban areas.
“Today’s announcement represents our continued record support under the Biden-Harris Administration for passenger ferry service,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said. “The grants help transit agencies make investments to increase reliability, improve connections to other modes of transportation, and bring older ferry systems into a state of good repair.”
Projects receiving funding includes $131.3 million for the Alaska Marine Highway, including $92.8 million for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to replace a 60-year-old ferry serving southwest Alaska; and $21.2 million for the American Samoa Department of Public Works for the acquisition of two low-emission vessels operating out of Tutuila to the islands of Manu’a.