OCEAN CITY, Maryland — We’ve all been stuck in the traffic going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We’ve all heard the talk of building a new bridge. But where? When? And at what cost?
Now there’s a new option in the conversation, thanks to the Chesapeake Bay Passenger Ferry Consortium.
"The bay has been seen as a divider. It’s very hard to get around. But this would be a way to connect all of those destinations around the bay," Kristen Pironis, executive director of Visit Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, told WMAR-2 News in an interview Thursday.
The Consortium, made up of leaders from Calvert, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s, and Anne Arundel Counties, along with the City of Annapolis, shared a feasibility study on Thursday at the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference in Ocean City.
"I mean, there has been no real way for people to explore the bay. You could go to one town, and that was it. This really opens up the bay to be what it needs to be, what it should be," Ben Cohen, development facilitator for St. Mary's County's department of economic development, said. "For me, it was a no-brainer. We are a peninsula, at the very bottom of the state. We have wonderful natural resources. We have the first capital of Maryland down there. And we just need a beautiful way to show people, and introduce them to this, and this just works perfectly."
The study looks at a passenger ferry service in several host communities, not only aimed at getting passengers across the water, but stimulating the economy by increasing tourism in other towns along the water.
This would strictly be a passenger ferry, meaning you couldn't bring you car on.
“This particular study was through the lens of tourism. We’re not trying to replace the Bay Bridge. We’re not trying to be a commuter [ferry.] But as I live in Queen Anne’s County and I work in Annapolis, I can’t help but think it’d be a really great commute," Pironis said.
The group did consider a car ferry, but as Pironis said, "the infrastructure involved in a car ferry is just - it’s much bigger than we were all willing to take on at this time."
In all, 21 communities would benefit, with 14 being considered “baseline”, meaning they have the greatest possibility of success. The system would be rolled out in the baseline communities first. They are shown below.
All ports would be in Maryland; there could be future opportunities for the ferry system to connect to Virginia, Washington, D.C, and Delaware.
Both Baltimore and Annapolis are stops on the proposed routes. People we talked to by the water in Fells Point today liked the idea.
"It would bring a lot more tourism to Maryland in general and to Baltimore, with the Inner Harbor being built up, it would definitely be more of an asset," Lynette Lucas said.
"I think it’s a great idea. If you had something that could link up Annapolis and Baltimore, even go all the way down to D.C., I think that’d be better for tourism, it’d bring more money to the state, and I think it’d bring more attention to Baltimore," Nick Day, a Baltimore native, said.
Cise Miller said it would allow people to "experience different areas. It might cost them a little bit, but I think it’s worth it."
You can read the full study here. It outlines everything from cost and vessel requirements to ferry station features which include: ramps, signage, a terminal building that provides shelter and shade for passengers, walking paths, and ample parking.
"What we have found is whether you are a supporter or maybe skeptical of the project, once you start on a ferry going to these different places, you can’t help but get excited about it," Pironis said.
You can probably guess what some people are skeptical about - money. The project would likely cost millions of dollars. The idea is to have a public/private partnership, as outlined below in the full study.
Ticket revenue could eventually help keep the system afloat financially. The study predicts a round-trip ticket would cost about $50.
The system would roll out in phases, beginning with just a few communities, and gradually expanding to include more routes and stops.
"I think that staged approach really alleviated the biggest concern about financing," Pironis said. "You're not going from 0 to 2,000. You're going from 0 to 1, to 2."
A lot has to be done before any of this can happen. Here are some of the next steps outlined:
- Schedule briefings in baseline communities
- Identify champions for each community
- Define expectations for the consortium and the champions
- Begin “readiness” assessment
- Continue outreach to private ferry operators
- Lay out next steps for system develop plan and financial plan
