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The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has added the Redwood City Ferry Terminal and Service Project to Plan Bay Area 2050+, moving it closer to securing federal funding and becoming a reality.
The project, which has been in development since a 2021 feasibility study, would establish a ferry route connecting Redwood City to Oakland, San Francisco, and other ports.
It was previously excluded from the regional plan, making it ineligible for ferry-service-only grants from the Federal Transit Administration. The new designation restores its eligibility.
MTC Commissioner and San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said the commission had to choose between funding the ferry project or an express bus service. The funding gap for the bus project was too large, he said, and the ferry would better serve local residents at this time.
However, the county could apply for bus funding again in four years, but Canepa stressed the importance of the port.
“If Highway 1 goes down or there’s a crisis, the terminal could move people out if roads are closed,” he said.
“Now you have ferries,” said Canepa.
The funding would supplement $15 million already provided by the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and a $5 million state budget earmark. The total cost for the project is estimated at $100 million, according to Canepa.
Planned improvements include a parking lot, a bus and shuttle drop-off area with a turnaround, bike storage, restrooms, and public amenities such as walking trails, benches, picnic tables, and space for pop-up vendor carts.
“Even as administrations change, having this designation through MTC prioritizes the project for federal funding,” Canepa said.
He added that beyond serving commuters, the ferry terminal could serve as an emergency transportation hub.
MTC Commissioner Gina Papan emphasized the project’s regional significance.
“The San Francisco Bay is as valuable a natural and environmental resource as it is for the movement of both goods and people,” she said in a press release.
Redwood City Council member Diane Howard, a Water Emergency Transportation Committee member, also praised the funding boost.
“Its funding was removed, but thanks to lobbying from many of us, we got it back in the plan,” Howard said. “These are funds that can only be used for water transit, and if we were not in the plan, the Bay Area wouldn’t be able to compete for those funds.”
Michael Quigley, executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs, called the ferry terminal “essential for the future of the Bay Area’s multimodal transportation network.”
“We’re grateful to Commissioners Canepa and Papan for leading the charge to connect Peninsula and South Bay residents to the ferry system, create good jobs, and boost the regional economy,” Quigley said in a statement.
Canepa reflected on Redwood City’s transformation over the years.
“When I was 17 or 18, we called Redwood City ‘Deadwood City,’” Canepa said. “The renaissance here is amazing. The port will be another crown in the Redwood City jewel.”
The Canepa quote, “…The port will be another crown in the Redwood City jewel.” seems backward, either written, or said. Shouldn’t it be, “The port will be another jewel in the Redwood City crown?”