The Jacksonville Ferry is getting some federal help to make much-needed repairs.
Jacksonville Transportation Authority officials will receive a $6 million dollar grant as long as it pays a 20-percent match.
The Ferry avoided shutting down after the city signed it over to the JTA this year, but costly repairs to its infrastructure left its future adrift.
JTA’s Brad Thoburn said a Federal Transit Authority grant should help cover most of the cost of those repairs.
“This $6 million grant will be used to complete the work on the fenders and slip walls out at the ferry," he said. "If you go out there today, you’ll see a considerable amount of work has happened in terms of replacing the old system and there’s some remaining work to be done and this will help us complete that."
The ferry’s slip walls and fenders are similar to bumpers in bowling, helping to guide the ferry into dock.
JTA still has to find a way to pay for the 20-percent match for the federal grant. But most likely, Thoburn said, the $1.2 million will be paid for by the city.
State lawmakers approved that money during session, but Governor Rick Scott vetoed it for the second year in a row.
