State awards $15 million grant to fund new Drummond Island ferry

SAULT STE. MARIE — The state recently awarded a $15 million grant to help fund a new ferry for Drummond Island.

This week, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Infrastructure Office announced $15 million had been awarded to the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA) for the project.

"These capital investment grants will provide critical funding to our public transit agencies to improve services," said state transportation director Bradley Wieferich. "It will help enhance and expand the state's multimodal passenger transportation systems."

EUPTA will use the $15 million for the construction of a new ferry to serve Drummond Island to accommodate for increased tourism. According to MDOT, tourism in the area has increased in recent years and the ferry will help with that expansion and allow it to grow even more.

The new ferry will not only increase the number of vehicles that can be transported to and from the island but also help transport larger vehicles. An increased demand for transportation of larger vehicles has caused hours-long wait times for tourists and residents alike.

Over 100,000 round-trip vehicle tickets and nearly 200,000 round-trip passenger tickets are purchased each year in DeTour, where passengers line up for the ferry.

The current ferry service travels back and forth hourly and is capable of carrying 36 normal sized cars at a time.

Drummond Island has had nine ferries in its history, and currently has two ferries in service.

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The state also awarded $10 million to the Huron Transit Corp. in Huron County for a new transit facility.

"This $25 million in grants for the EUPTA and HTC will spur tourism, which will bring in more customers for local businesses, in turn creating job opportunities, improving the local economy and increasing quality of life," said Zach Kolodin, Michigan’s chief infrastructure officer. "By building an additional ferry for Drummond Island and providing a new transit facility for Huron County, we are addressing immediate infrastructure needs while laying the groundwork for sustainable growth and modernization. Together, with our local and federal partners, we are building a Michigan where every community has the opportunity to prosper."

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: State awards $15 million grant to fund new Drummond Island ferry