Ferry systems get $60 million in Recovery Act grants

U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced $60 million in grants to 19 states and one U.S. territory to improve ferry service and save and create jobs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The largest projects are in Nueces, Texas, where a bridge or tunnel is not feasible, and Detroit, Michigan, where ferry service to the suburbs is necessary.

ARRA provides the $60 million to the Federal Highway Administration's Ferry Boat Discretionary program, which is intended for the construction and repair of ferry boats and terminal facilities.

State	City/County	Project	Improvement	Amount
Alabama	Wilcox	Gee’s Bend Ferry	Upgrade ferry lines and build new terminal at Camden	$1,419,000
Alaska	Hoonah	Hoonah Ferry	Replacement of aging structures to allow for safer and more reliable service	$3,059,507
Arkansas	Marion	Peel Ferry	Replace aging tugboats to provide safer and more reliable service	$350,000
California	San Francisco	Sausalito Ferry	Ferry landing improvements to include better access	$3,200,000
Florida	Duval	Mayport Ferry	Terminal improvements to include ramp upgrades for safety	$3,000,000
Georgia	Chatham	Savannah River Ferry	Construct new ferry boat	$1,000,000
Kentucky	Crittenden	Cave-in-Rock Ferry	Construction and rehabilitation of ferry landing to reduce service delays	$90,000
Kentucky	Monroe	Turkey Neck Bend Ferry	Replace aging ferry and trailer	$300,000
Kentucky	Butler	Reeds Ferry	Construct new ferry boat	$300,000
Louisiana	Iberville	Plaquemine/Sunshine Ferry	Improve landing infrastructure with upgraded hydraulic systems	$350,000
Louisiana	Plaquemines	Plaquemines Parish Ferry	Replace ferry boat engines with energy-efficient/alternative fuel engines that improve speed and reduce emissions	$1,856,930
Louisiana	Iberville	Plaquemine/Sunshine Ferry	Replace main engine of M/V Ascension ferry boat to improve speed, efficiency and reliability	$650,000
Louisiana	Iberville, Pointe Coupee, and West Feliciana Parishes	M/V Acadia, M/V Ascension, M/V St. Charles, M/V St. Francisville Radar Systems	Replace navigational radar systems on the four ferry boats to improve safety and efficiency	$300,000
Maine	Cumberland	Casco Bay Island Transit District Ferry	Construct new ferry boat to provide expanded and more reliable service	$5,500,000
Maine	Waldo	Maine State Ferry Service – Lincolnville	Replace aging dock systems to improve safety	$1,300,000
Maryland	Baltimore	Inner Harbor Connector	Pier improvements and the purchase of a new ferry	$1,590,000
Michigan	Detroit	Detroit City Dock	Design and construction of new offshore wharf and additional space for passenger terminal building	$7,139,455
Michigan	Chippewa	St. Mary’s River Ferry Dock	Dock upgrades to include lengthened piers to accommodate multiple vessels along with larger ones	$1,175,000
Missouri	Mississippi	Dorena-Hickman Ferry	Construct new ferry boat to accommodate larger vehicles	$957,500
Missouri	Lewis	Canton Ferry	Construction of heavy vehicle ramps and safety gates on the ferry docks	$188,000
New York	Clinton	Lake Champlain Transportation Company (LCT Co.) Ferry	Construction of additional ferry slip to provide additional capacity	$2,500,000
New York	Richmond	Staten Island Ferry	Rehabilitation and upgrades to the terminal and dock to improve safety, efficiency and reliability	$4,000,000
Ohio	Ottawa	Middle Boat Ferry	Repair deteriorating commercial dock and replace passenger and freight terminal building	$800,000
Oregon	Marion	Buena Vista Ferry	Construct new ferry boat and improve landings and terminal electrical utilities to provide more reliable and expanded service	$3,224,608
Tennessee	Stuart	Cumberland City Ferry	Construct new ferry barge and construct new landings and floating terminal	$3,000,000
Texas	Nueces	Port Aransas	Construct new ferry boat to expand service	$7,200,000
Virgin Islands	St. Thomas and St. John	VI Ferry	Construct new ferry boats to expand service	$3,000,000
Washington	Skagit	Guemes Island Ferry	Construction of new ferry terminal with expanded customer service	$750,000
Wisconsin	Grant	Cassville Car Ferry	Replacement of deteriorating ferry boat	$1,800,000