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This funding is said will help Alaskans be better able to access jobs, schools and healthcare. Ferry service remains critical for those living in small towns and Alaskan Villages along the coast.
“For so many in Alaska, the ferry remains their only access to opportunity,” said Federal Transit Administrator Nuria Fernandez. “Every American should have a chance at a better job, an easy way to visit family, access to healthcare and a path toward a better life. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are investing in passenger ferries all over Alaska that will provide those opportunities while we help reduce our impact on the beautiful climate of that great state.”
Quoting a news release from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, the grants to Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Utilities, are part of a total of $384.4 million in federal funding nationwide from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand and improve the nation’s ferry service in communities across the country, as well as accelerate the transition to zero emission transportation. This funding will benefit millions of Americans – from Alaska to Michigan to Maryland – who depend on coastal waters, rivers, bays, and other bodies of water to connect to their communities.
According to the U.S. Dept of Transportation's announcement, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities was chosen to receive funding for six projects, including: (For more information and detailes, scroll down.)
- $46.2 million to build an electric ferry that will improve essential transportation to rural port communities while reducing emissions and improving the sustainability of the Alaska ferry system.
- Nearly $68.5 million to replace a nearly 60-year-old ferry with a new diesel-electric ship. The new vessel will serve rural southwest Alaska, improving service reliability, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and preserving a vital transit lifeline.
- Nearly $8.6 million to plan for the replacement of aging ferries with diesel-electric hybrid vessels and develop the functional design of a new vessel.
- $44.8 million to operate the Alaska Marine Highway System, which runs 3,500 miles and serves 35 Alaskan communities that face low transportation access and high transportation costs.
- Nearly $72.1 million to modernize four, ships on the Alaska Marine Highway, ensuring continued service reliability, and continued quality of transit services.
- Nearly $45.5 million to upgrade the dock infrastructure in five rural Alaskan communities. These upgrades will allow ferries to continue to service three small, disadvantaged, rural communities and two rural hub communities, including replacing 40-year-old infrastructure at one of the most active ferry terminals: the Auke Ferry Terminal. The upgrades will also allow the facilities to accommodate additional ferries, allowing for uninterrupted service moving forward.
The funding, made available through three Federal Transit (FTA) competitive grant programs, will boost ferry service in rural areas, modernize urban ferry systems, and lower emissions by speeding adoption of zero-emission technology.
The Federal Transit Administration is awarding more than $285 million of investments to improve the reliability and service of Alaska’s ferry system, which serves more than 30 communities across 3,500 miles of coastline.
The funding, all awarded to the Alaska Marine Highway System, is designated to replacing an aging vessel, upgrading ferry dock infrastructure in rural communities, modernizing four vessels, procuring an electric ferry, designing a new mainliner vessel, and for generating sustainable operations.
This landmark funding was made possible by H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), in which Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) played a lead role writing and negotiating for Alaska. These awards are the first of the IIJA’s newly established Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program and the Electric or Low Emitting Ferry Pilot Program. Additional funding grant funding from these programs will be available to the AMHS in fiscal years 24, 25 and 26.
U.S. Senator Murkowski said, “Having grown up in coastal communities that rely on the Alaska Marine Highway System, I’ve always understood the importance of Alaska’s ferry system. That’s why it was one of my top priorities when I helped craft the bipartisan infrastructure law—one of the most consequential legislative efforts I’ve work on during my time in the Senate. I’m proud to have led the charge on this historic investment to upgrade our aging ferry fleet and hopefully restore connections throughout our coastal communities—specifically through the Ferry Service for Rural Communities program I created with rural Alaskans in mind.”
Murkowski said, “Thanks to the infrastructure law, the state will receive over a quarter of a billion dollars to ensure that this vital mode of transportation can continue. Whether it’s modernizing current vessels, upgrading dock infrastructure in rural communities, to investing in sustainable transportation—I trust the State will capitalize on the opportunities of these grant awards for the betterment of Alaskans.”
“The vast majority of communities in Alaska have no connection to the road system, making ports and ferries as essential as roads and highways, and a critical area of responsibility for the federal government,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) said.
Sullivan said, “The funding awards announced [January 24th] are great news for the thousands of Alaskans who rely on the ferry system, which serves an enormous expanse of coastline—roughly the distance between St. Louis and San Francisco. These funds will help deliver a safer and more reliable means of transportation by updating existing AMHS vessels, finally procuring a replacement for the Tustumena, and repairing deteriorating portside infrastructure. I commend Senator Murkowski for her work to ensure Alaska’s ferry system was prioritized in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Through my seat on the Commerce and EPW Committees, I will continue to fight to bolster Alaska’s ports and ferries, which are vital to the economic interests and well-being of Alaskans across Southeast, the Gulf and the Aleutians.”
Alaska Marine Highway System's Funding Details: (Over $285 Million is being awarded to six Alaska Marine Highway System projects.)
- $72 Million for the Modernization of Four Critical AMHS Vessels Necessary for Service and Environmental Benefits (Download and read the full AK DOT Applicant and Proposal File).
Total Project Cost: $90,081,932
Federal Request: $72,065,546
State Funded Match: $18,016,386
Announced Award: $72,065,545
- $68 Million to Replace the M/V Tustumena Vessel Serving Rural Southwest Alaska(Download and read the full AK DOT Applicant and Proposal File).
Total Project Cost: $85,610,480
Federal Request: $68,488,384
State Funded Match: $17,122,096
Announced Award: $68,488,384.00
- $45 Million for Critical Upgrades to Ferry Dock Infrastructure in Five Rural Alaska Communities. (Download and read the full AK DOT Applicant and Proposal File).
Total Project Cost: $56,848,018
Federal Request: $45,478,414
State Funded Match: $11,369,604
Announced Award: $45,483,214.00
- $46 Million to Cultivate a Systems Approach to Sustainable Transportation by Implementing Climate Responsive Ferry Vessel Options . (Download and read the full AK DOT Applicant and Proposal File).
Total Project Cost: $57,767,509
Federal Request: $46,214,008
State Funded Match: $11,553,502
Announced Award: $46,214,008
- $8 Million for Anticipating Future Service & Replacement Needs by Designing a New Alaska Mainliner . (Download and read the full AK DOT Applicant and Proposal File).
Total Project Cost: $10,739,520
Federal Request: $8,591,616
State Funded Match: $2,147,904
Announced Award: $8,591,616
- $44 Million to Restore the Health of the AMHS for Sustainable Operations to Rural Communities. (Download and read the full AK DOT Applicant and Proposal File).
Total Project Cost: $89,647,600
Federal Request: $44,823,800
State Funded Match: $44,823,800
Announced Award: $44,823,800
Summary of Other Grants/Fed Funding Announced in 2022:
Murkowski, Sullivan Applaud An Additional $135.9 Million in Broadband Investment for Alaska (11/17/22)
Murkowski Marks One Year of Infrastructure Law: Nearly $3 Billion and Counting for Alaska (11/15/22)
Alaska to Receive $13 Million to Address High Energy Costs (11/03/22)
Alaska Tribes and Organizations Receive over $18 Million for Tribal Climate Resilience Projects(11/02/22)
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants Heading to Alaska (10/28/22)
$112 Million Announced for Alaska Ports and Ferry Terminals (10/26/22)
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants Heading to Alaska (10/14/22)
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants Heading to Alaska (09/30/22)
Alaska To Receive Over $14 Million for Recreation Infrastructure (09/26/22)
$63 Million in Broadband Investments Announced for Alaska (09/23/22)
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants Heading to Alaska (09/21/22)
$2 Million Announced by USDA to Support Agriculture in Alaska (09/02/22)
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants Heading to Alaska (08/17/22)
Murkowski Announces Over $57 Million in Additional Infrastructure Funding for Alaskan Communities (08/13/22)
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants Heading to Alaska (07/29/22)
Historic Infrastructure Funding Now Available for Ferries; Murkowski-Championed Program to Aid Rural Ferry Service and Ferry Electrification (07/08/22)
Source of News:
U.S. Dept of Transportation
www.dot.govOffice of U.S. Sen Lisa Murkowski
www.murkowski.senate.govOffice of U.S. Sen Dan Sullivan
www.sullivan.senate.govFederal Transit Dept.
www.transit.dot.gov
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