New London gets $1.6M to save ‘dolphins’
Federal windfall ensures Fishers Island ferries remain safely moored by replacing pilings
New London — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration on Friday announced a $1.6 million award to save dolphins in the city harbor.
It’s probably not what you think. The award will replace clusters of pilings, known as dolphins, that hold ferries docked at the Fishers Island Ferry District’s New London terminal.
The transportation department in a news release said replacing the pilings will improve safety conditions in strong winds and when cargo vehicles and passengers are boarding or leaving the ferries
Geb Cook, district manager of the Fishers Island Ferry District, hadn’t yet gotten wind of the grant when reached for comment. But he was happy to hear it.
He said crews had begun to notice the current pilings starting to sway in storms over the past few years, which increases the risk of boats breaking free.
“This money will go toward securing our terminal for years to come,” he said.
The district operates two ferries year-round and a seasonal, 18-passenger fast ferry docked at City Pier, Cook said. The agency has applied for another grant from the Federal Transit Administration to fund an additional $12 million ferry.
The ferries don’t just transport people and vehicles from New London to Fishers Island, according to Cook.
“We also carry all the food, the construction material, the fuel that heats homes,” he said. “We carry schoolchildren every day. And the ferry is the means to get people off the island in an emergency.”
About 30% of the operation is financed by taxpayers on Fishers Island, Cook said. The rest comes from fares and freight charges.
The transportation department
said the terminal is one of 26 small ports awarded a total of $173 million through the Port Infrastructure Development Program.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, in a statement said the grant is one of numerous federal investments he helped secure to bolster maritime transportation and the economy.
“The $1.6 million federal grant will allow the Ferry District to make essential infrastructure improvements to ensure the safety of passengers, crew, and cargo,” Courtney said.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a statement pledged to “keep fighting for more funds to modernize and improve Connecticut’s ports,” while U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., promised continued efforts to “support New London’s future as a center of trade and tourism.”
Cook said he expects to hear by early next year if the district will receive funding for a new ferry.