August
14,
2007
By Thor Jourgensen/The Daily Item
The city is taking the next step to making a commuter
ferry to Boston a reality.
The Conservation Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing
Aug. 21 on the plan to build a steel bulkhead and dock
at the end of Blossom Street extension and provide parking.
The project also includes dredging.
The waterfront area including the ramp falls under environmental
protection regulations and state environmental officials
will also review the ferry project.
"We would create an area for two or three boats of
which one would be a ferry. This is a major project that
fits into our plans for the waterfront," said Economic
Development and Industrial Corporation Director James Cowdell.
He said the city is seeking $3.1 million to help pay for
the project. State Sen. Thomas M. McGee, a proponent of
the commuter ferry project, said Salem received state money
to pay for its ferry dock project.
"Lynn will look to get state support to move forward.
I am very optimistic about getting it done," he said,
adding, "Lynn is an ideal site."
McGee said top state transportation
officials are "positive" about
starting ferry service in Lynn.
Plans for a water shuttle have ebbed and flowed over the
years as city planners and developers proposed then scrapped
major waterfront projects. A commercial pier project and,
more recently, a gambling boat operation have operated
successfully on the waterfront, but a ferry operation similar
to Quincy's has eluded Lynn.
McGee endorsed the concept in 2002 in a public hearing
with state transportation officials. At the time, Ted Smith,
a local marine use expert, said a ferry would have to travel
at speeds over 30 knots to make the water ride faster than
a car or train commute,
Cowdell in April said a Lynn ferry could travel to Boston's
waterfront in 14 to 17 minutes and provide a direct transportation
link between the cities.
The ferry project is also aimed at reviving a section
of the waterfront open to the public but is underused and
in disrepair. Blossom Street extension runs off the Lynnway's
northbound lane next to the Keyspan natural gas tank.
"Few people use it now," Cowdell
said.
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