Steamship considers Falmouth standby locations

As construction continues at the Woods Hole terminal, the Steamship Authority is considering creating staging areas for cars to wait for boats in Falmouth to ease traffic congestion.

Alison Fletcher, shoreside operations director, said during the joint meeting of the Steamship Authority Board and Port Council on Dec. 9 that they were looking at the possibility of having staging areas — a location for vehicles with reservation to wait before boarding their ferries — at either Palmer Avenue, where one of the ferry line’s parking lots is located, and an area on Gifford Street. 

Traffic congestion has been an ongoing complaint among some traveling Islanders, particularly in regard to pedestrian safety and confusion at the terminal, amid the construction. If pursued, the new standby location wouldn’t be used until at least the spring since there aren’t as many cars in the winter.

Either location would need extra equipment and up to eight additional employees, which Steamship treasurer Mark Rozum said could add around $800,000 to the annual payroll. Still, this cost could be cut down somewhat if they wait until the spring, when seasonal workers start returning.

The ongoing reconstruction of the Woods Hole terminal has cut down the space for vehicles, so a staging area would allow for an additional location for freight trucks with reservations to wait. Additionally, Fletcher said dock workers and parking attendants can pull from the Blue Line, a standby line specifically for Vineyarders with vehicle reservations, to fill remaining spots on ferries. 

But Fletcher said the ferry line will need to communicate with customers so people aren’t “driving around aimlessly,” which would worsen congestion. She highlighted that a recent mailblast to Blue Line users showed that many profiles weren’t up to date. 

According to Fletcher, the Palmer location has two areas that can hold around 170 cars and 320 vehicles each, while the Gifford location can accommodate roughly 350 vehicles. Despite the smaller size, Fletcher preferred Gifford, highlighting the tighter turn for freight trucks around Palmer Avenue and that it was already used by many customers. 

“My fear with Palmer Avenue is that there’ll be a lot of congestion and confusion with customers coming in and out, especially when they’re parking their cars as opposed to staging their cars,” Fletcher said. “And, also, I’m afraid that we might have backup on Palmer Avenue, which can cause its own issues in and of itself.” 

While the port community representatives were in favor of looking for ways to mitigate congestion in Woods Hole, some were wary of the costs that the Steamship may need to incur. 

Jim Malkin, the Martha’s Vineyard representative to the board who asked for this idea to be explored, said high expenses were “not something I can happily stomach.”

No decision was made during the meeting and Steamship staff will look for additional options to ease congestion. Ferry staff also expect the upcoming reservation system, which is planned for release next fall, will help make the proposed process easier.