MBTA Receives Over $6.6 Million in Federal Funding for Modernization and Resiliency Improvements at the Hingham Ferry Dock

The MBTA is pleased to announce that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded the T with $6.6 million in funding for modernization, safety, and accessibility improvements to the Hingham Ferry dock, which provides a key service link between local communities and the Boston Harbor while helping to reduce traffic between the South Shore and Boston. The funding comes as part of the FTA’s FY 2022 Passenger Ferry Grant Program, which aims to enhance and revitalize public ferry systems in the nation’s urbanized areas. The FTA awarded more than $380 million in competitive funding to ferry projects through a trio of discretionary grant programs, and the MBTA received the Passenger Ferry Grant Program’s largest award in the nation.

“We are pleased the MBTA will be receiving this critical funding to make improvements at the Hingham Ferry dock which prioritize safety, reliability, and climate resiliency,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Gina Fiandaca. “We have unprecedented opportunities ahead of us, whether it's making MBTA service safer, more reliable, and more equitable, advancing critical capital investments, or expanding transportation options for the public. We are grateful to municipal leaders, members of the Massachusetts’ Congressional delegation, and other officials for their partnership as we take steps to make system-wide improvements at the MBTA.”

With the dock providing service to over half a million passengers annually before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hingham Ferry Dock Modification Project aims to improve reliability, resiliency, and the customer experience by increasing the capacity of the ferry service while also making it more resilient against severe weather and climate change. This rehabilitation project will replace the existing dock with a permanent, fully accessible dock enhanced with a covered gangway and canopy; upgrade lighting, safety, and security systems; and install a generator to provide full backup power to the dock and Hingham Intermodal Center during potential power outages.

“This is great news for the MBTA and its ferry customers. The federal funds will lead to meaningful improvements and resiliency enhancements to the Hingham dock, furthering our commitment to improving passenger safety and maintaining a state of good repair across our system,” said MBTA Interim General Manager Jeffrey Gonneville. “This grant award is the result of our aggressive strategy to pursue any available federal discretionary funds and also serves as a critical part of our wider effort to ensure the safety of the T’s infrastructure, like the Hingham dock. We appreciate the support of the Congressional delegation and countless individuals who have engaged with us to move the project forward.”

This grant award marks another funding win for the MBTA, which has followed an aggressive strategy to pursue federal discretionary funding in order to support capital needs across the system. Since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, the MBTA and its partners have won more than a dozen competitive grant awards totaling nearly $250 million to help fund MBTA capital needs, including an unprecedented $116 million award in 2022 from the FTA to support the purchase of battery-electric buses. This award was the largest in the nation (tied with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority) and is a significant boost to the T’s aggressive transition toward an entirely zero-emission fleet of over 1,100 buses by 2040.

The design work for the project is expected to be complete by the end of 2023 and construction is expected to begin in 2024.