A New Chesapeake Ferry? By Brent Lewis

The findings of a yearlong Chesapeake Bay Passenger Ferry Feasibility Study, spearheaded by a five county consortium consisting of Anne Arundel, Calvert, St. Marys and two counties on the Eastern Shore – Queen Anne’s and Somerset – were announced at this summer’s Maryland Association of Counties Conference in Ocean City.

The use of ferries for the purpose of making one’s way around the Chesapeake Bay has been part of the region’s economy and social fabric since the earliest days of colonization. Travelers on foot and horseback, catching rides up and down and across the Chesapeake, led to the iconic vessels of the steamboat era and then to the early Automobile Age ferry system that crisscrossed bay waterways to meet the needs of a more mobile vehicular culture.

These ferries, built or modified for passengers as well as their cars and trucks, were an important part of bay freight and transportation networks through three decades of the early twentieth century and still hold a nostalgic value for those who remember them. Their era of service ended in 1952 after the Bay Bridge opened to traffic. Now, seventy two years later, there is a serious initiative underway to perhaps bring a regional passenger ferry system back into existence and back into people’s hearts.

In the past there have been conversations, speculation, and even other studies undertaken as to what a new ferry system might look like, but the current process began in earnest in January 2023 when the five participating counties, all Maryland counties with bay access were invited to join, began accepting bids to conduct a feasibility study. The winners of that procedure, the Massachusetts-based transportation consultants Cambridge Systematics were  assigned to explore how a new passenger ferry service could stimulate economic growth, encourage tourism, and restore vital  links between people and their surrounding communities.

The 114-page study outlines such primary details as vessel requirements and ferry station infrastructure along with such more nuanced data as potential passenger appeal and economic projections. Initially focusing on a handful of key baseline communities that are most likely to experience success as travel destinations, including Baltimore and Annapolis, plus St. Mary’s City and Crisfield, a long term favorable outcome would see more than twenty locales included in the network.

Heather Tinelli, the Economic and Tourism Development Director for Queen Anne’s County, says that even in these early planning stages of the proposed ferry project, the five county collaboration on both sides of the Chesapeake has proven the potential of “making the bay more of a connector than a divider.” There are two prospective route connections in Queen Anne’s, one at Matapeake Fishing Pier, one of the last and most popular dockages of the old ferry lines, and one at Kent Narrows.

As society reassess both the importance of interpersonal connections between communities and expanded access to the bay as being critical to people better understanding, appreciating, and prioritizing the area’s natural resources, the establishment of a system of passenger ferries might not only be capable of introducing Marylanders and visitors alike to parts of the state they’re unfamiliar with, but could, despite significant initial investment and risk, result in meaningful financial advantages.

Clint Sterling, the Director of Recreation, Parks & Tourism for Somerset County, says that potential benefits are numerous, including investment in the community to “increase and optimize our amenities to serve visitors, revitalization and growth for our existing tourism partners, and serve as a catalyst for economic growth across many sectors.”

The study recommends that an initial plan should include the service of two 149-passenger and five 49-passenger diesel or diesel-electric hybrid catamarans which would serve 50,000 riders on six proposed routes with fourteen stops four twenty six weeks from mid-April to mid-October. It is estimated that each low-impact rider, no cars will be added to the mix, will spend an average of $200 at their destination in food, attractions, shopping, services, and lodging.

The venture will be funded by a public and private partnership, a fiscal structure that provides access to transportation funds made available through the state and federal governments while still being driven by the goal of making a profit. The operation of the vessels used in the system would be financed by ticket and advertising revenue, in conjunction with support through the communities that will benefit from their service. There would be costs to establish the system and revenue would take time to catch up to investment, but ownership shared through public-private resources provides different avenues to reach operational goals.

The next steps to seeing the proposed Chesapeake Bay ferry network come into being will all also take time. It will take time to assess the readiness of the recommended docking locations, to contact potential private transportation companies who would oversee ferry operations (auto ferries were considered but would require more investment than current data would support), and to secure development funding, tools, and opportunities.

“Most important of those next steps,” says Heather Tinelli, “include continuing to reach out to the community for input and support and getting the results of the feasibility study into the hands of individuals, as well as businesses and politicians in the region.  Any plans made moving forward will be bolstered by positive community feedback and support. Community involvement will be crucial.” Clint Sterling emphasizes that all efforts will be made to “make sure all voices are heard.”

Tinelli says the consortium and the participating counties they represent believe that the “unique economic development opportunity to boost tourism and strengthen connections within the Chesapeake Bay region are real.” She says that the study decided the basic vision the counties have is feasible but long term, future-looking planning has to be flexible. “This is not,” she says, “an overnight process. No one would want it to be. Bringing something like this to fruition takes careful consideration. There are lots of moving parts and the numbers matter.”

Sterling concurs: “Any undertaking that is worth the effort will certainly have its challenges – for our area I look at this opportunity not necessarily as a series of challenges, but more of meeting benchmarks by creating the areas that will be appealing to the visitor and meet their needs and providing support to the potential operators of the service that will make our location an enticing place to do business.

“A far more problematic scenario,” he says, would be “if this study and potential project were taking place and we were not part of the proposal and were on the outside looking in.

“We believe this ferry has the potential to revitalize our region and develop many beneficial opportunities, create jobs, enhance our tourism industry and boost the economy, and provide access to recreational amenities.

“And” he adds, “that the real work is just beginning.”

The full Chesapeake Bay Passenger Ferry Feasibility Study can be seen here.