Steamship Authority photo:
FALMOUTH – An addition of a potential early morning freight trip by the Steamship Authority from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard has received negative response from Falmouth town officials, who say the area is already congested and overburdened.
Peter Jeffery, Falmouth member of the Authority’s board of governors, said that they recently issued a request for proposals for off-Cape interest in supplying Martha’s Vineyard freight demand, but it could not find relief for the Woods Hole terminal.
“The Vineyard, with its growth, is only going to want more as far as freight capacity as well as passenger capacity. And there seems to be no off-Cape interest, at least by third parties, in providing that service,” said Jeffery.
Jeffery highlighted the positives the Authority provides, including wealth and employment for Falmouth residents, but said as demand from the Islands increases, so will the strain on local infrastructure.
“We had put out a request for proposals, trying to seek a third-party freight carrier that we would then license as an alternative non-Cape port to service Martha’s Vineyard. It was out for I think about 4 or 5 months and we had zero applications. Zero interest.”
The select board said that they oppose the addition of trips, and would also urge the Steamship Authority to fund a traffic study of the area, saying that the roads surrounding the terminal are already overtaxed.
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