Biddlecomb Column: Can we get there from here?

Despite a maiden voyage that took nearly twice as long as anticipated, Prince William County officials are still considering support for a commuter ferry that could link Quantico and/or Woodbridge with
Washington, D.C.

County supervisors and state officials are combing through a feasibility study released this week that includes data from a dry run the ferry made last May. The report concludes that such a ferry could run
as many as 23 trips a day carrying 145,000 passengers a year.

When the ferry made its trial run with local politicians and commuters aboard, it was understood that the system could get underway with help from federal grant money administered by the Virginia
Department of Transportation.

On paper, the commuter ferry sounds like a good plan. I’ve complained for years that taking a boat into D.C. is far more enjoyable than sharing the roads with all of you people — especially the guy in the
Lincoln Navigator with a Redskins flag who flipped me off instead of letting me merge into traffic yesterday morning.

Supervisor Frank Principi deserves a boatload of credit (pun intended) for supporting the public ferry option. Much of his district is a virtual parking lot every morning with frustrated commuters crawling
north.

The advantages of a fast ferry system are simple.

— It bypasses the interstate highway choke points at the 14th Street and Wilson Bridges.

— It can take cars off the road, leaving more room for carpoolers, slugs and single drivers.

— It’s a mode of transportation the federal government can embrace. They should, considering the thousands of jobs moving to this area due to BRAC.

— Arlington and Alexandria are less likely to sue over it. We have yet to build a bridge or widen a road where one of those two jurisdictions don’t lawyer-up and file a lawsuit.

The two high hurdles to implementing the commuter ferry system are feasibility and money.

Money is almost always a sticking point. Some media reports state that the local contribution for a ferry system — docks, parking and infrastructure — could cost the county around $30 million. Would
this be picked up by the county, the PRTC or funded through a combination of federal, state and regional grants?

If a ferry system does cost us $30 million, county taxpayers deserve specific answers.

The $30 million question becomes: Will the thing work?

Commuters will not pay $16 a day to spend nearly four hours on a ferryboat during their commute to and from work. The dry run from Occoquan to Washington, D.C., took nearly two hours. Debris in the
water and a “no wake zone” on the Occoquan were labeled the culprits for the long voyage. As an experienced mariner, I’m here to tell you that’s life on the water. There’s a lot of water between our
county and the District and it’s filled with so-called “no wake” zones and chunks of wood and tree limbs.

If a ferry is going to work in Northern Virginia, commuters have to be guaranteed an easy point of departure. Requiring ferry passengers to park at a commuter lot before taking the bus to the ferry is a deal
breaker for many. Parking on site is probably a must.

It would also have to be an express ferry with no (or no more than one) stop in between Virginia and the District. Stops along the way make the trip longer and frustrate paying passengers. That’s why a
route from Alexandria (or at least Fort Belvoir) to D.C. seems more feasible.

Quantico to Washington with stops along the way would be a nightmare for me. It has to be as straight a shot as possible.

Starting small with just a few routes is probably the most prudent (and least expensive) approach. If it works, then expand.

Ferries in New York and Seattle, Wash., are the current gold standard, but there have been failures. Honolulu, Hawaii, began a commuter ferry in 2007 but was forced to give it up when federal grant
money dried up. The locals just didn’t want to support such an expensive endeavor.

I still think talking about a ferry system is a good thing. But until it is proven that such a ferry can get me to work in less than an hour without going bankrupt in two years, I will remain a skeptic.

Alfred Biddlecomb is the former editorial page editor for the Potomac News and the Manassas Journal Messenger.