Monday saw $200,000 in grant money added to the territory’s funds for purchasing new ferries for the route between St. Thomas and St. John, according to a Government House release.
The funds come from a grant from the Federal Highway Administration and will be added to the $5.1 million in funds that the V.I. Department of Public works has set aside for the purchase of two new ferries for the route.
The ferry route, used by tourists and residents alike, is also how St. John ninth–12th graders get to school everyday on St. Thomas.
Next week DPW will release a request for quote (RFQ) both locally and nationally for two state-of-the-art passenger ferries, according to the release.
The additional $200,000 comes at a good time.
“We are fortunate to be the recipient and grateful for the additional $200,000 to augment [the current ferry budget],” Darryl Smalls, DPW commissioner, said in a telephone interview. “We feel confident that we have sufficient funding.”
Smalls said that the estimate per vessel is in the $2–2.5 million range and the estimate includes getting the vessels through U.S. Coast Guard inspection.
“We looking for vessels that are brand new,” Smalls said.
Monday also saw funding come through for St. Croix transportation safety systems.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave $500,000 to support traffic safety information system improvements for St. Croix, according to the same Government House release.
“The grant funds will allow us to address the most pressing [transportation] data system problems,” Gov. John deJongh Jr. stated in the release.
The funding is part of an overall $34.5 million grant awarded in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and four offshore territories.
