Potomac River Commute

No doubt, that has been a topic of conversations many an afternoon while sitting in traffic with fellow HOV'ers. Then those who shall remain nameless will start spouting, charge them!! charge them!! HOT on the waterways!! Sorry, it's been a long week. HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

:'}

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Originally posted by Baz
[br]Why doesnt the area take a serious look at making the Potomac River a water-route for commuting? Having different stops at various locations along the river, building lots for parking along the shoreline, etc. Not sure if theres any land available along the coastline. Wonder what costs would be involved? Just an idea and new topic of conversation dealing with the brutal commuting situation...

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Congressman Frank Wolf was a big advocate of ferry boats. Politically, I think ferry boats were a red herring to draw attention away from promoting ride sharing efforts along the lines of slugging. I think the aide to Cong Wolf is still on his staff. If you want to check, Council of Governments (Jon ??) had some history on ferries for the DC area.

If by serious look you mean did anyone cost it out? Yes, it was costed out. As I remember, the rides would be about $20 one way from Dumfries to Watergate. Since Dumfries wasn't in Congressman Wolf's district the idea sort of died a natural death. There were a few people working in the Langley Complex, CIA, FHWA that used a row boat across the Potomac. Winter weather was a deterent.

Marin County, California did adopt ferry boats with, I believe, federal assistance from San Rafael (?) to Fisherman's Wharf (?).

Yes, it is good to consider alternatives for commuting. Especially for comparison to slugging. Slugging looks better and better with every suggestion. If there is a comparison, slugging should be the gold standard of comparison.

dickboyd@aol.com

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Originally posted by adjguy
[br]Doesn't the water on the Potomac belong to the Peoples Republic of Maryland as far as turf?

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No. The river is in Maryland -- the boundary is the low-water mark on the River's Virginia shore. Although Maryland thus owns the entire riverbed, Virginia is entitled not only to full dominion over the soil to its shore's low-water mark, but has a right to such use of the river beyond the line of low-water mark as may be necessary to the full enjoyment of her riparian ownership, without impeding the navigation or otherwise interfering with the proper use of it by Maryland.

There was a Superme Court case a few years ago involving Maryland's attempt to regulate Virginia removing water from the Potomac for its water supply. Maryland lost; Virginia is entitled to take water from the river and there is nothing Maryland can do about it.

Perish the thought! [xx(]
An overturned barge and tugboat blocking the HOV commuter channel on the Potomac! [;)]
Boats backed up to Mt. Vernon! [:p]

Keep on sluggin'! [:)]

There was supposed to be a ferry from Belmont Bay up to DC. I don't know where that idea has gone. VRE friends probably crushed the idea. The high initial cost and the large continued subsidy makes the whole thing unlikely. I remember reading a study of four different possible routes. The one that would lose the least amount of money was a route from southern MD to VA so I wouldn't get my hope up for a route helping out the I95 congestion any time soon.