Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.

Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. Whereas, on September 20, 1962, the 87 th DRBA Whereas the pressures of increasing amounts of traffic, a growing population, and greater industrialization indicated the need for closer cooperation between the 2 States in order to advance their economic development and to improve crossings and transportation between the 2 States; Whereas the Delaware River and Bay Authority was organized on February 6, 1963, to construct and operate transportation crossings between the 2 States and its first line of business was to update earlier feasibility studies for a ferry service connecting southern New Jersey and southern Delaware; Whereas DRBA Commissioners immediately resolved, in April 1963, to establish the Cape May-Lewes Ferry at the earliest possible date following the release of the updated feasibility study; Whereas, on July 1, 1964, the very first vessel departed the Lewes, Delaware terminal at 6:47 a.m., carrying 8 vehicles and 15 passengers; Whereas the Cape May-Lewes Ferry has served as a major transportation link in the crowded Northeast corridor, connecting north-south traffic from Boston and New York City to Washington, D.C. and Florida; Whereas the 85 minute, 17 mile journey across the Delaware Bay offers an efficient way to cut miles off a road trip; Whereas the Cape May-Lewes Ferry has evolved over the past 50 years from strictly a mode of transportation to one that includes tourism and recreational opportunities; Whereas the Cape May-Lewes Ferry offers foot passenger shuttle service to destinations in Delaware and New Jersey for a variety of commercial and recreational activities on the other side of the Delaware Bay; Whereas both bird watchers and bicyclists use the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to access the various and numerous trails on both sides of the Delaware Bay; Whereas the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminals will host festivals to celebrate the highly anticipated 50 th Whereas the Cape May-Lewes Ferry employs more than 130 full-time personnel and an additional 330 seasonal workers, adding significantly to the economies on both sides of the Delaware Bay; Whereas the Cape May-Lewes Ferry operates year-round and has carried more than 43 million passengers and 14 million vehicles since the inception of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry in 1964; Whereas the DRBA continues to invest its resources to improve the services and infrastructure of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, including a renovated ferry fleet and new passenger terminal facilities; and Whereas the Cape May-Lewes Ferry remains an important transportation link, as a waterway continuation of United States Route 9 between the State of Delaware and the State of New Jersey: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate (1) commemorates the 50 th (2) celebrates the history of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry as an important transportation and tourism link between the State of Delaware and the State of New Jersey; (3) honors the ongoing role that the Cape May-Lewes Ferry plays in bringing people together through interstate commerce, tourism, and recreation all along the eastern seaboard; and (4) recognizes the positive contributions that the Cape May-Lewes Ferry has on the development and growth of the Twin Capes region of Cape Henlopen, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.

Summary: Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, connecting the communities of Lewes, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.