The Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (hereafter referred to as the “agency”) is a two-county public transit system providing rural bus service in Chippewa and Luce Counties in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula. The agency also provides a car ferry/passenger service to Sugar, Neebish, and Drummond Islands in the St. Mary’s River currently utilizing four ferry boats and eight docking facilities. Approximately 500,000 vehicles and 800,000 passengers are transported to and from the three islands annually. The Drummond Island ferry boats are sub-chapter T, Inspected, Passenger Vessels and have crews onboard daily per a regular schedule 365 days per year, 24 hours per day. The distance to the island from the mainland, Village of DeTour, MI is 0.94 mile. The crossing is in the very lower proximity of the river. Commercial and domestic vessel traffic can be heavy. Extreme conditions including strong currents, wind, fog, snow and severe ice can be encountered. The Drummond Island ferries transport approximately 230,00 vehicles and more than 400,000 passengers per year. The Drummond Island ferry service is challenged when transporting peak passenger vehicle traffic, heavy vehicles such as construction, mining and logging trucks and related equipment. In the wintertime they encounter extreme ice conditions and severe artic weather. The agency is seeking qualifications for naval architecture services to produce technological documents including architectural plans and specifications (Construction Bid Documents) for a new double-ended ferry vessel to provide service between DeTour Village, MI and Drummond Island. The new design will need to meet not only the existing physical characteristics, dimensions and parameters of the docks at the Drummond Island ferry crossing but all docks at all three islands. Included in these Naval Architecture scope of services shall be construction support consultation services from commencement to completion of the build and Stability Test. The existing Drummond Island ferry boats are approximately 115 feet in length and 37 to 42 feet in width and have approximate passenger car capacity of 20-30 vehicles.
