The Lynn ferry pier. (Karyn Regal/WBZ NewsRadio)
LYNN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The push is on to get a full-time ferry running between Boston and Lynn to ease traffic problems for North Shore commuters.
Lynn Mayor Tom McGee's office said it expects to put in a request to use a $4.5 million federal grant to pay for a permanent ferry vessel to run between Boston and Lynn.
McGee's office said they'd like an interim seasonal service using leased ships to run in the meantime, as it has done before, to drum up support for a full-time ferry.
The idea for a Lynn ferry isn't new—over $8 million in state money was spent to build a ferry terminal off the Lynnway, which has gone largely unused.
Speaking to WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal, State Sen. Brendan Crighton said that, given the disruption caused by the Tobin Bridge construction, he'd love to see a ferry running now.
"I hear more about the ferry and a demand for service here on the North Shore," he said. "And it's not just Lynn; It's Marblehead, Nahant, Saugus, and other abutting [towns]. Even Revere. People will come north to go into Boston."
In a statement, MassDOT said they'll continue to provide "critical support" to the City of Lynn as it moves toward operating a ferry service.
Back in 2018, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told the Lynn Item he wasn't supportive of the idea, saying that "only 30 people rode it last summer."
But on Wednesday, Baker referred WBZ to MassDOT when asked about the ferry.
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WBZ NewsRadio’s Karyn Regal (@KarynRegal) reports