Steamship Authority Receives $2.5 Million Federal Grant

Steamship Authority photo:

WOODS HOLE – The Steamship Authority has received a $2.5 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help pay for a new terminal in Woods Hole.

Specifically, the funding from the Passenger Ferry Grant Program will be applied toward the cost of the project’s new terminal building.

“We are extremely grateful to the U.S. Department of Transportation for this award,” said General Manager Robert B. Davis. “As one of the only public ferry systems in the country to totally support its operations and capital costs through fare box collections, any financial assistance we can receive through our partners at the federal government helps us keep the cost of service as low as possible for our traveling public, including the island residents for whom we are proud to serve as a lifeline.”

The Woods Hole Terminal Reconstruction Project includes a complete redesign and rebuild of the Authority’s Woods Hole terminal property.

It includes performing resiliency work at the site to make the transportation center able to withstand the expected effects of sea level rise; increasing overall accessibility at the site; reconstructing three new ferry slips; designing and constructing a new terminal building; and designing and constructing a new storage building.

Construction on the project is planned over six years, with the work constrained to the off-season so as to minimize disruption during the busy summer months.

This spring, construction on the northernmost slip on the property concluded; this fall, work on the middle slip will commence.

The waterside portion of the project is projected to cost about $55 million, while the terminal building is projected to cost around $12.5 million, although a final cost estimate will be determined after a design for the structure is finalized.

“The Steamship Authority provides a vital link between the Cape Cod and the rest of mainland and the island communities of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard,” said Secretary Pollack. “This grant will help the Authority to continue to better fulfill its charter mission for decades to come.”