The Mississippi River ferry terminal downtown will soon be expanding. The city has received a $10 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop the terminal at the end of Canal Street.
Ferry services have been cut back in recent years, as their funding has changed. The Algiers and Gretna lines don’t run as late or as often as they used to, and other lines no longer run at all. But officials are banking that improvements will make more people want to ride.
Cedric Grant, Director of the Sewage and Water Board, says it will be easier for people to access the ferries by foot, bus, bike or streetcar.
He says it will include room for queuing and ticketing, as well as the opportunity on the second floor for retail space. “But the goal here is to tie the water transportation to the land transportation,” Grant says.
He says the $10 million grant won't quite cover the cost of the renovation and the city will work with the Department of Transportation to come up with the rest.
The project will also include streetcar access to the Convention Center, double ferry dock capacity and expanded bus access. The city hopes to finish it by 2018.
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