On March 9, 2007, the NOACA Governing Board approved the following regarding this project: Resolution No. 2007-006 Project Planning Review Resolution No. 2007-007 Plan Amendment Title: Fairport Harbor Ferry Border Crossing Terminal in Grand River Village Sponsor: Village of Grand River Estimated Total Cost: $45,220,500 Proposed Source of Federal Funds: Undetermined History/Background:On November 23, 2005, the Village of Grand River passed Resolution No. 2005-093 supporting the designation of the State of Ohio as a ferry border crossing state with Canada. At NOACA’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting on July 21, 2006, representatives from Grand River Village (Fairport Harbor), the municipality of Bayham in Ontario (Port Burwell Harbour) and Short Sea Lines (SSL) presented information regarding their studies and plans for ferry line service. Proposed Project:  According to the sponsor, the proposed project involves the development and implementation of a new international ferry border crossing terminal, extending U.S. highway, drop-trailer and intermodal services to Canada, assuming the outer harbor basin is dredged and maintained according to federal standards and requirements for the harbor. The project is to be implemented in phases with an expected in-service date 18 to 24 months upon receipt of all the necessary approvals, concessions and funding. The sponsor states that, due to the complexity and scale of this transportation infrastructure project, approvals, permits for individual components, staged implementation and interim funding may be a reality on both sides of the lake. Flexibility and accommodations for such requirements will be considered and accommodated as necessary within the proposed project management organization. The project will be implemented as a private-public partnership where public entities, a border terminal, and a private ferry operator (Short Sea Lines) will manage ships and day-to-day ferry operations. Three docks or ferry berths will be installed at each terminal and more than six ships could traverse the lake simultaneously. It is stated the proposed system can scale to carry 2,000 to 3,000 trailers and 1,000 to 2,000 cars per day providing 20% to 30% new border capacity in the Great Lakes Region. Also included with the proposal is the option for new vehicles and other freight, enabling an all new trade NAFTA corridor between Ohio and Ontario. The estimated total cost of the proposed project is $45,220,000. The basic elements of the project and their associated estimated costs, as provided by the sponsor, are as follow: Landside facilities ($15,820,000), Ferry berth facilities (Civil Works - $4,800,000 and Equipment -$7,840,000), Outer harbor Dredging (not provided), Drop Trailer and Intermodal Facilities ($15,870,000) and Project Management ($890,000). Staff Comment (Summary): Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Team: The Governing Board has approved a ferry project for Northeast Ohio. Specifically, in July 2006 the Board approved a Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority project involving the construction, design and engineering of a terminal building to accommodate the Trans-Erie ferry. The project will establish a line from Cleveland, Ohio to Port Stanley, Ontario. The Port Authority has two SAFETEA-LU earmarks totaling $7,000,000. At the July 2006 TAC meeting, the consultant for the Fairport Harbor project stated that with the current market, only one ferry proposal would be feasible for the region. Therefore, it appears unrealistic to expect that Northeast Ohio’s economy can support two independent ferry lines located less than 50 miles apart. The sponsor states that he will work to obtain funding for the project, but there are currently are no committed federal or state sources for any portion of this project. It is possible to amend this project to the Transportation Plan, but there are no committed federal or state funding sources for the project. Given this situation, the only action that could happen is to amend the project to Tier III of the Transportation Plan. However, this would implicitly assume that the Board believes the Northeast Ohio economy can support two independent ferry lines—or that one of the two projects will not advance to construction. Advance to Committee and public review with the understanding that the sponsor will make a good-faith effort to address questions and comments. Committee Review: Regional Transportation Investment Subcommittee (RTIS)/Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): No comments; recommended for amendment to NOACA's Transportation Plan. Intergovernmental Review and Consultation (IGRC): "As a representative of the Lake County Historical Society, the only comment I would like to make is this. The community of Grand River is a vital historic community, so we would be very interested in the actual location of said terminals. But, until we would know where in Grand River these terminals would be located, I cannot comment either positively or negatively on this project. Thank you," - Lake County Historical Society If you are a representative of a governmental entity and would like to comment on this project, please email us. If you have any questions regarding the Intergovernmental Review and Consultation process please contact staff at (216) 241-2414, Ext. 322. Public Involvement: NOACA encourages comments from the public on this proposed transportation improvement project. Please notify us if you would like to be added to our e-mail notification list for future updates.