8/3/2015
Contact: Sarah Clements
202-366-3062

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced that $20 million in competitive grant funds will be made available for passenger ferry projects in urban areas. The grants will help enhance ferry services for thousands of riders who live in communities along the nation’s waterways by funding ferry construction and improvements to terminals and equipment. A Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) appears in today’s Federal Register.

“Passenger ferries are a vital link in our nation’s transportation network, connecting people with jobs, education and other important opportunities,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These funds represent a core investment in the revitalization and improvement of public ferry systems – a transportation link that provides an important ladder of opportunity to hard-working families.”

FTA will award the grants based on factors such as the age and condition of existing ferry boats, terminals and related infrastructure; benefits to riders, such as increased reliability; project readiness; and connectivity to other modes of transportation.

“We know that for many waterside communities, getting across the river, the bay or other waterway is essential for getting to work, school, the doctor, and even the grocery store,” said FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan. “Ferry services are crucial in these communities, and we must ensure that they are safe, modern and able to serve all of the people who depend on them.”

The FTA administers these ferry grant funds through its Discretionary Passenger Ferry Grant Program. Grant funds may be used to buy, replace or rehabilitate ferries, terminals and related equipment. Last year, U.S. DOT awarded ferry grants under this program for projects to support refurbishing dock landing areas, establishing a new ferry service for commuters to a military installation and modernizing a ferry terminal that serves one million people annually.

The current transportation funding authorization, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), authorized this ferry grant program to provide funding on a competitive basis to public ferry systems in urbanized areas. These ferry grants are funded through the fiscal year 2015 Urbanized Area Formula Grants program. While the NOFA specifies that $20 million is currently available, the NOFA further states that additional funding may be provided if such funding is later made available to the FTA for this program. Those eligible to apply for these ferry grants include designated recipients and eligible direct recipients of FTA’s Urbanized Area Formula Grant program that are operating public ferry systems.