North Ferry weekend service returns after a two-year absence

For the first time since the autumn of 2024, the passenger ferry from North Ferry landing to the downtown terminal ran on a Saturday, carrying 211 people across the river on a grey morning that felt, to several of them, like a small victory.

To Desmond Kalu, the debate is about more than money. He has lived in Saltmarsh for 39 years and can still describe when the last major project was promised. “I am patient, but I am not infinitely patient,” Kalu said.

Under the proposal, the restored North Ferry weekend service would require roughly $54.3 million over 8 years, with roughly 52 percent of that coming from state and federal grants. Budget analysts calculate that the typical household would pay about $27 more per year as a result.

The fine print

A spokesperson for the Valley Regional Transit Authority wrote in an email that the department was working through public feedback, and that members of the public are encouraged to submit comments online until April 16.

The staff report showed that 30.4 percent of residents in the study area earn less than the area median income. This matters because those households have the least room to absorb new costs.

Among council members, the politics are complicated. Three members represent districts that would see little benefit, and several have hinted publicly that they could change their vote.

• Commits $56.0 million to street resurfacing
• Funds a 5-year pilot in the Riverside flats
• Sets aside $51.4 million for emergency repairs
• Requires quarterly progress reports to council
• Creates a citizen oversight panel

A familiar argument

State officials retain final approval. An environmental assessment is likely to last 4 months, after which any changes might add both.

The core disagreement is a question of priorities. Supporters want to spend the grant money before it expires, while a vocal minority want to fix existing problems first.

Two members of the board asked staff to return in 112 days with an analysis of alternatives. The motion passed without debate, though Yara Solberg warned that “we have studied this enough.”

Route	Weekday riders	Weekend riders	Farebox recovery
North Ferry	2,317	1,467	23%
Downtown Loop	3,695	560	24%
Route 14	3,378	1,475	23%
Eastgate Express	2,373	2,299	32%
Harbour Shuttle	2,837	871	23%

What residents said

Housing advocates won written assurances that affordable units will be replaced one-for-one. Staff said that language could not be made legally binding.

Some business owners urged the Valley Regional Transit Authority to go further. Their argument rested on one point: the problem is getting worse, not better.

Solberg said the revised plan was “not what anyone wanted, which is usually how you know it is fair.” In an interview on Friday, Solberg added that several neighbourhoods would see little immediate benefit.

A kitchen that happens to have tables. That is all I ever wanted.

Yara Solberg

Who pays

Comparisons with similar-sized towns in the region suggests Brindlemoor is not unusual. Hollis Bay, just down the river, abandoned a similar plan after a lawsuit.

Not everything in the ferry service is disputed. Even the plan’s critics praised the money for street repairs, which account for about $90.0 million in spending.

Upkeep is the overlooked part of the story. Opening a new facility attracts grants; paying staff for the next 30 years is not, Solberg said.

Thursday’s vote came after nearly a year of committee debate, during which the Valley Regional Transit Authority heard from more than 293 residents. Many of them asked the same question: whether the city could afford to wait any longer.

Where the money comes from

Critics argued that the ferry service leaves too many questions unanswered. “Every year we say next year,” said Kalu. “The people in Old Quay are tired of hearing that their turn is coming.”

Underneath it all is a question of trust. A city survey in May found that just 30 percent of residents believe the city delivers projects on time.

The history here matters. In 1991, the Valley Regional Transit Authority adopted a long-range plan that identified the same problems. That plan sat on a shelf as administrations changed.

The neighbourhoods left waiting

Residents of Saltmarsh organised early. At a meeting in the community centre last July, more than 98 people stood along the back wall, and the question session ran past ten o’clock.

Saoirse Lindahl, who studies regional planning at Valley Polytechnic, has a binder of letters from the city going back to 2005. “I could wallpaper my kitchen with these promises,” Lindahl said, flipping through it.

Participation in the online survey was uneven: 924 participants, most of them from just three neighbourhoods, according to a staff memo.

The timeline from here is a second reading set for September. Barring a legal challenge, work could begin as early as next summer.

Two members of the board asked staff to prepare a breakdown of costs by district. Staff agreed, though Solberg noted that “a perfect plan delivered in 2031 helps no one.”

From the Valley Regional Transit Authority filing, July 2026

What the plan actually does

On a grey Tuesday morning in Ashby Cross, the street looked much as it has for decades: a shuttered storefront, a faded sign promising improvements.

Lindahl summed up the mood bluntly: “We are not trying to stop anything. They just want to be asked before it happens, not after.”

Public records show that staff warned the Valley Regional Transit Authority as early as June 2025 that grant money might not cover the full scope. Those warnings were not included in the materials shared with residents.

The view from the Riverside flats

We asked the Valley Regional Transit Authority for additional detail. A representative sent several pages of documents saying that the organisation remained committed to transparency.

By the numbers: 6 rounds of revisions, $85.9 million in estimated costs, and a vote that may yet slip.

It is worth stepping back, and a pattern emerges: what happens this winter could define how the valley looks for a generation.

Reporting for this story drew on a review of 865 pages of public records, among them people on every side of the debate.

At a glance: 9 public meetings, $34.3 million in estimated costs, and a vote that could still change.

Helena Voss can be reached at helena.voss@brindlemoor-dispatch.example. Have a tip? Use our secure tip line.