The Federal Transit Administration recently made $657 million available to support U.S. ferry services and infrastructure.
[Above photo by the CTDOT]
The agency noted in a statement that its ferry grant program seeks to help modernize ferry terminal infrastructure, launch new ferry routes, and fund new ferry services to connect people to their jobs and new communities more efficiently.
FTA added that its notice of funding opportunity outlines the application criteria for those ferry grants and that the application deadline for that tranche of funding is May 11.
Many state departments of transportation operate a variety of ferry services across the country.
For example, the Connecticut Department of Transportation recently restarted two separate seasonal ferry services on the Connecticut River.
Open to pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers, the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry and the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry jointly carried approximately 91,000 passengers and 42,000 vehicles across the river in 2025.
In fact, the agency noted in a statement that the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry – established in 1655 – is the longest-running continuously operating ferry service in the nation. Horses on treadmills once provided the power to move the vessel, and today, a three-car barge named Hollister III is towed back and forth by the Cumberland, a diesel-powered tugboat.
Meanwhile, the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry dates to 1769, with the current vessel, Selden III, providing safe, reliable service for more than 75 years.
Built to carry eight or nine cars and as many as 49 passengers, Selden III features propellers and rudders at both ends, allowing it to reverse course without ever turning around.
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