Chesapeake Bay Ferry Proposed To Connect Anne Arundel County With Bayside Towns

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Tourism leaders are considering the potential value of a Chesapeake Bay passenger ferry to connect Annapolis with other waterfront towns.

The five-county team is now accepting bids from companies willing to conduct a feasibility study.

The request for proposals listed potential primary ferry destinations as: Annapolis, Galesville, Chesapeake Beach, St. Mary's City, Leonardtown, Crisfield, Matapeake, Kent Narrows and Baltimore.

Secondary locations may include: Solomons, Cambridge, St. Michaels, Easton, Rock Hall, Chestertown, Chesapeake City, North East and Havre de Grace.

Kristen Pironis, executive director of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, sees this as "a transformational moment" and "a regional project with far reaching ramifications."

"It's not just about connecting destinations," Pironis said in a Friday press release. "It's about being connected to the Chesapeake Bay."

The ferry is not guaranteed as of now. Tourism leaders are just examining if it's a feasible resource that would boost the economy.

A Chesapeake Bay passenger ferry would still be years away if the study finds that such a connection would be possible and valuable.

The request for proposals to conduct the study went live on Jan. 3. Proposals are due by Feb. 15.

The tourism team expects to award the feasibility study to a qualified bidder on or before March 15. The winning bidder must present its findings within 130 days of getting the contract.

Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County is leading the consortium that's seeking bidders. Calvert, Queen Anne's, Somerset and St. Mary's counties are also on the team.

"If the study determines passenger ferry service along Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay is feasible, we'll be one step closer to providing equal and equitable access to the Bay," Pironis said in the release. "That would be a game changer."

The consortium accepted a $125,000 matching grant from the United States Economic Development Administration on Oct. 18, 2022. The request for proposals has been in the works ever since.

The five members of the consortium, along with Anne Arundel County and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation, will provide the required $125,000 to match the grant in a seven-way split.

"The Chesapeake Bay Passenger Ferry project has the potential to expand business and tourism in our county," said Earl F. "Buddy" Hance, president of the Calvert County Commissioners. "[This would enable] residents to experience traveling on the bay and visit other areas in our treasured Chesapeake Bay region that have not been as accessible in the past."