The Biden administration will provide $200 million in grants to modernize the country’s ferry systems
By means ofThe Associated Press
November 30, 2023, 3:07 PM
A San Francisco Bay ferry carrying Federal Transit Administration Administrator Nuria Fernandez heads toward Oakland in front of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO– The Biden administration will provide $200 million in grants to modernize the nation’s ferry systems, officials announced Thursday.
The grant program will focus on expanding ferry services in rural communities, helping them purchase modern ferries, including electric boats, and improving shore infrastructure to support low-emission ferry services, officials said.
Twelve ferry companies in the U.S. territory of Somoa and the states of California, Washington, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina will receive subsidies, said Nuria Fernandez, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.
“The grants will help transit agencies make investments to increase reliability, improve connections to other modes of transportation and bring older ferry systems into good repair,” she said at a news conference at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority will receive nearly $16 million to modernize two of their existing ferry fleets in the cities of Alameda and San Francisco. The New York City Department of Transportation will receive nearly $7.5 million to build shore-based terminal infrastructure to enable fast charging for ships serving Governors Island, which is only accessible by ferry. The new charging system will reduce emissions, lower maintenance costs and improve reliability for riders, officials said.