Funds totaling $285 million from the Federal Transit Administration have been awarded to the Alaska Marine Highway System, to replace an aging vessel, upgrade ferry dock infrastructure in rural communities and more.
The money, made available through H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also will fund modernizing four vessels, procuring an electric ferry, designing a new mainliner vessel and generating sustainable operations. The federal money will be matched by millions of dollars in state matching funds.
These awards, announced on Wednesday, are the first of the IIJA’s newly established Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program and the Electric or Low Emitting Ferry Pilot Program, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in a joint announcement with Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska. Additional funds from these programs will be available to the state’s marine highway system in fiscal years 2024-2026. The Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program is Murkowski’s newest program to provide competitive funds to states to support basic essential ferry services in rural areas.
Murkowski said that having grown up in coastal Alaska communities that rely on AMHS she has always understood the importance of the state’s ferry system and has worked hard to craft infrastructure legislation to include those funds.
“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,” Murkowski said.
Sullivan said the funding will help deliver a safer, more reliable means of transportation for Alaskans.
The funds include $72 million for modernization of four ferries, $68 million to replace the M/V Tustumena ferry, $45 million to cultivate a systems approach to sustainable transportation by implementing climate responsive ferry vessel options, $8 million for anticipating future service and replacement needs by designing a new Alaska mainliner vessel, and $44 million to restore the health of the AMHS for sustainable operations to rural communities.
