San Francisco Bay Ferry to receive $16M in federal grants to modernize fleet
The Biden administration will issue $200 million in grants to modernize the country's ferry systems, officials announced Thursday.
The grant program will focus on expanding ferry service in rural communities, helping them acquire modern ferries, including electric boats, and upgrading shore infrastructure to support low-emission ferry service, officials said.
Twelve ferry operators in the territory of American Somoa and the states of California, Washington, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina will receive grants, said Nuria Fernandez, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.
"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," she said during a news conference at San Francisco's Ferry Building.
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, also known as San Francisco Bay Ferry, will receive nearly $16 million to retrofit two of their existing ferry floats in the cities of Alameda and San Francisco.
"San Francisco continues to lead the way in addressing climate change through our commitment to working together," said San Francisco Mayor London Breed in a statement. "Thanks to the FTA and WETA, not only will the implementation of the transbay electric ferry service strengthen our City's 2040 net-zero emission goal by taking a significant step forward, but it will also improve regional transit experiences through increased passenger capacity and efficiency."
The New York City Department of Transportation will receive nearly $7.5 million to build shoreside terminal infrastructure to enable rapid charging for vessels serving Governors Island, which is only accessible by ferry. The new charging system will reduce emissions, decrease maintenance costs and improve reliability for riders, officials said.