The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) is awarding the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority a $14.9 million grant to build battery-powered ferries and the shore-adjacent charging infrastructure needed to serve some of the most burgeoning communities in San Francisco, the WETA announced Friday, July 15.
The funding would go toward building a third ferry in the San Francisco Clean Ferry Network, which seeks to link downtown, Treasure Island, Mission Bay and other SF neighborhoods.
“San Francisco’s waterfront is home to some of the region’s fastest-growing new neighborhoods and this grant will help reduce traffic and improve air quality by connecting workers and residents with the country’s first high-speed, zero-emission ferry service,” WETA Board of Directors Chair Jim Wunderman said.
This funding adds to the $9 million CalSTA grant from 2020 that paid for WETA’s first zero-emission ferry and shoreside infrastructure. Earlier this year, WETA also netted a $3.4 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration for an additional battery-electric vessel.
