Electronic throttle control for surry & williamsburg vessels

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded $775,000 to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on August 12, 2025, under the Highway Planning and Construction program (CFDA 20.205) for the Electronic Throttle Control for Surry & Williamsburg Vessels project. The award funds engineering consultation services and installation of electronic throttle control systems to replace existing air throttle control systems on ferries operated by the J-S Ferry service at the Surry County Surry Ferry Terminal in Virginia. This modernization effort will align the vessels with current marine industry standards and reduce operational downtime associated with vessel maintenance and repairs.

The project was awarded as a sole-source procurement, indicating that VDOT was selected as the primary implementer for this specialized marine transportation infrastructure improvement. By upgrading from pneumatic to electronic throttle controls, the project enhances operational efficiency and reliability for the ferry service, which represents a transportation connectivity improvement consistent with the Highway Planning and Construction program's broader mandate to support multimodal transportation infrastructure enhancements across the United States.

Project description

J-S ferry: surry county, surry ferry terminal; sole source procurement- provide engineering consultation services and installation of electronic throttle controls system to replace the existing air throttle control system for each of these vessels. This will bring the vessels more in line with marine industry standards and reduce vessel downtime.