MOLINE, Ill. — Millions of dollars are headed to the Quad Cities area for Channel Cat upgrades.
MetroLINK is receiving a $8 million grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration.
A MetroLINK spokesperson said it will use the money to buy a new battery-powered, electric passenger ferry boat, known locally as the Channel Cat system. The grant money will also go towards charging equipment and landside upgrades to accommodate the new infrastructure.
There's no word yet on when that boat could be ready to take passengers across the Mississippi River. MetroLINK said it's eyeing The Bend area in East Moline for where the charging station would be, but that isn't set in stone.
MetroLINK received one of 18 grants under the FTA's 2024 Ferry Grant Program. The public transportation company said the application for the grant was competitive. Funding was given out across 14 different states to improve ferry infrastructure but Illinois was the only landlocked state to receive funding.