$3M incentive could reopen White's Ferry

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - Officials for the state of Maryland, Montgomery County, and the Town of Poolesville say it is time for a resolution on the conflict of re-opening White's Ferry, which connects Maryland and Virginia.

It’s been an ongoing dispute between the landowner on the Virginia side and the ferry operator — but the Town of Poolesville is hoping a $3 million incentive offered by the government will push the two private owners toward a deal that gets the ferry back in business.

The backstory:

The historic ferry has been in operation for nearly 250 years before closing in December 2020. When it was running, it carried between 600 and 800 vehicles a day. Since its closure, the Town of Poolesville has experienced a significant economic loss — estimated at about 20 percent in traffic reduction.

"It's been a terrible, terrible scenario for our town and our region — the lives of the people who go back and forth on the ferry all the time," said Jim Brown,  Poolesville Town Commission President. "We have a lot of people that connect our biotech corridor with the tech corridor in Virginia, say Dulles. None of those people can go back and forth anymore. It's an extra 45 minutes. It's completely restricted our commerce, and it's changed the way of life around here."

Taking the ferry eliminates the need to drive all the way down to the American Legion Bridge to travel between the two states. Montgomery and Loudoun County transportation departments estimate re-opening the ferry would have a $9 million annual impact on commuters. But the biggest impact would be felt right in Poolesville.

What's next:

In order for both sides to access the $3 million grant, an agreement must be in place by the end of summer. All the details would then need to be finalized by July 1, 2026.

"For us, hopefully it means more business for the Town of Poolesville, and easier commutes for our residents — the people who are making these trips. We think in the long run it’s a benefit to the town. If it benefits the town, it benefits the county. So, all these things kind of fit together. And I feel the same way for the Virginia side," said County Executive March Elrich.