LYNN — The Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC/Lynn) Board of Directors voted Wednesday morning to sign a lease with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for the use of EDIC/Lynn’s pier, terminal, and parking lot for the Lynn-to-Boston commuter ferry.
The MBTA is also set to sign the two-year lease in the next 48 hours, EDIC/Lynn Executive Director James Cowdell said. Once that is signed, the MBTA will contact Boston Harbor Cruises, which will be operating the ferry, to “sign off on the commitment of a vessel that they’ve identified.”
The boat being used is a 149-passenger vessel, Cowdell said, and the MBTA is looking to have multiple 30-minute trips in the morning and evening.
“This is a huge step forward in the vision of positioning Lynn as a multi-modal hub of transportation,” Mayor Jared Nicholson said. “Water transportation is a critical part of that.”
There will be an option for a three-year extension in the lease, Cowdell said.
The operational costs of the commuter ferry are being paid by the MBTA. The City of Lynn and EDIC/Lynn will “not pay a dime,” Cowdell said.
“I think it will be a home run, I think that this is everything that we’ve hoped for coming to fruition, which is the state is funding the ferry and so we’re really excited about that,” Cowdell said.
Having a Boston-to-Lynn ferry has been in the works since 2006, he said, when funding was secured to build out the pier and terminal in Lynn. Then there were pilot programs for the ferry in 2014, 2015, and 2017, but eventually the funds ran out.
Last year, the state delegation was able to secure $1 million for the ferry through an economic-development bill, according to a press release from EDIC/Lynn.
The reopening of the ferry comes just a month before the Sumner Tunnel is set to close for the months of July and August, which is expected to bring traffic delays.
“That will present an incredible challenge, which is why we are excited to be able to offer a viable alternative,” Nicholson said.
The agreement with the MBTA was “sudden,” with the development happening over the past few weeks, Cowdell said. He gave a lot of credit to Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll for making it happen.
“The lieutenant governor is a longtime advocate and a friend to the City of Lynn,” Cowdell said. “That helped all the stars align.”
The state delegation of Sen. Brendan Crighton and Reps. Dan Cahill, Peter Capano, Jenny Armini and Donald Wong thanked the Healey-Driscoll administration and officials in Lynn for collaborating with them “to enhance public transportation options for the region.”
“We face some of the worst traffic congestion in the country and water transportation must be part of the solution. We look forward to sharing more details of the potential ferry service soon,” said the delegation members in a statement.
