Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities
| Year | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Authorization | $ 67 M | $ 67 M |
Program purpose
This program provides funding for the construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities.
Statutory citation(s): MAP-21 §1121; 23 U.S.C. 129(c), 147; SAFETEA-LU §1801(e)
Funding features
Funded by contract authority from the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund, to remain available until expended. Funds are subject to the overall Federal-aid obligation limitation.
Funds will be allocated to States, United States territories, and Puerto Rico, and further distributed among eligible entities based on the following ratio:
- 20% based on the number of ferry passengers carried by each ferry system;
- 45% based on the number of vehicles carried by each ferry system; and
- 35% based on the total route miles serviced by each ferry system.
Unlike the former Ferry Boat Discretionary (FBD) program, there are no set-asides for specific States, and funding under this program is no longer discretionary.
Federal share: 80%
Eligibility Requirements
FBD eligibilities continue unchanged:
- Construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities within the States and U.S. territories.
- It is not feasible to build a bridge, tunnel, combination thereof, or other normal highway structure in lieu of the use of such ferry.
- Ferry must operate on a route that has been classified as a public road (and that has not been designated as part of the Interstate System).
- Ferry must be either publicly owned or operated or majority publicly owned.
- The operating authority and the amount of fares charged for passage on the ferry shall be under the control of the State or other public entity.
- All revenues must be applied to actual and necessary costs of operation, maintenance, repair, debt service, negotiated management fees, and a reasonable return on investment for any privately operated ferry.
- Except as permitted under 23 USC 129(c)(5), ferry cannot be operated in foreign or international waters.
Program features
For each of FY13 and FY14, allows the use of up to $500,000 from the administrative funding of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to maintain the national ferry database BTS was required to establish under SAFETEA-LU. Also adds a new requirement that this database be consistent with the national transit database maintained by the Federal Transit Administration. [§1121(b); SAFETEA-LU §1801(e)(4)]