Senate Gets Ferry, Landfill, Roadwork and Tourism Impact Tax Updates

While the Public Works Department celebrated naming the territory’s new St. John ferry, Spirit of 1733, getting a new ferry to travel between St. Thomas and St. Croix will be more difficult, officials told legislators Wednesday.

The soon-to-come ferry is scheduled to start traversing Pillsbury Sound before year’s end. Although the 35 miles of water between St. Thomas and St. Croix is also a federal marine highway, roughly $15 million is needed for an appropriate ferry boat.

Each of the three recent attempts to get mainland public funding has ended in failure, said Public Works Commissioner Dereck Gabriel. Federal officials require more hard data on cost and usage than the territory currently has. Unlike roads and bridges, infrequently traveled waterways are a non-starter in Washington, D.C., regardless of the number of people forced to fly the route instead, he said.