U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

09/28/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/28/2021 08:16

Davis Statement from Hearing on the Role of Ferry Transportation Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

Davis Statement from Hearing on the Role of Ferry Transportation

Opening remarks, as prepared, of Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-IL) from today's hearing entitled, "Examining the Role of Ferries in Improving Mobility":

Thank you, Chair Norton. I want to welcome everyone to today's hearing on the role of ferries in improving mobility. I especially want to welcome Kyle Godar, the County Engineer from Calhoun County, Illinois. Mr. Godar is my constituent and has been working with my office to resolve an issue Calhoun County has with utilizing its Ferry Boat Program funding. My hope at this hearing is to draw attention to this problem, so that we can finally get the Federal Highway Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers to come together and find a solution. At this time, I'd ask unanimous consent to submit for the record my letter I sent to both agencies in April of this year requesting coordinated technical assistance in resolving this issue.

Under current law, this subcommittee authorizes two programs that provide Federal funds for ferry transportation. The Ferry Boat Discretionary Program is administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Passenger Ferry Grant Program is administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Senate's bipartisan infrastructure bill includes two new ferry boat programs and grows ferry program funding levels from $550 million to $2.3 billion.

Ferries serve diverse areas of our country, much like our highway and bridge network, from urban and coastal areas to rural America.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a ferry in my district that operates across the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri that Mr. Godar is going to discuss. The importance of that ferry to the community it serves cannot be understated, which is why it is so important to resolve Mr. Godar's issues.

While ferry service certainly is not a solution for each state, it is important to understand the role ferries play in quickly connecting people and communities through water crossings. It also is important to understand the needs of ferry boat and facility owners and operators. Addressing these needs, as those here before us today will testify, is critical to improving our ferry operations.

I look forward to hearing about ferry ridership, technological innovations, and challenges and proposed solutions identified in implementing ferry boat programs. With that, I want to thank our witnesses for joining us this morning, and I look forward to hearing their testimony.

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