Daily ferry service is sailing toward Mission Bay.
The route, run by and connected to communities served by San Francisco Bay Ferry, is scheduled to begin service in 2027. The project recently received a $55 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports Program to advance the work.
“When it opens, the ferry service will add a much-needed all-electric commute option for UCSF employees working at Mission Bay, as well as UCSF patients and their families receiving care at our UCSF Health facilities,” said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, who joined Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and others at a ceremony celebrating the funds in November.
Hawgood, who also highlighted the EPA funds for a new Mission Bay ferry terminal in his 2024 State of the University address, reflected on the UCSF’s $4 million commitment to support the project under then San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee – a commitment Hawgood made to Lee back in 2017.
Lee passed away unexpectedly in December 2017.
“I’m so pleased to see his vision now realized,” Hawgood said.
UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood delivers remarks at an event celebrating the federal grant, held on November 1, 2024, at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Photo by San Francisco Bay Ferry
California State Sen. Scott Wiener (left to right), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood and former San Francisco Mayor London Breed at an event on November 1, 2024 announcing federal funds for a ferry terminal at Mission Bay, among other projects. Photo by San Francisco Bay Ferry
Vessels operated by San Francisco Bay Ferry. Photo by Alain McLaughlin
New commute option
The new ferry terminal is planned just south of the new Bayfront Park at 16th Street and Terry A. Francois Boulevard.
Once construction – which includes dredging, pier construction and electrification – is finished, the new vessel will serve as the first high-speed, zero-emission ferry service in the U.S., carrying up to 6,000 passengers per day.
“Mission Bay continues to be a growing and exciting part of San Francisco,” said Simon Betsalel, capital projects manager at the Port of San Francisco. “Having a landing adjacent to UCSF provides access to high-quality jobs and access for visitors coming to see their family members being cared for at UCSF.”
Continued neighborhood investment
UCSF’s $4 million contribution to the ferry terminal is just one piece of community investment that the university has made in the area since it opened its first building in Mission Bay in 2003.
UCSF has also committed $10.55 million for projects to revitalize the Dogpatch neighborhood, including renovation of Esprit Park, a stair connector at 22nd Street and the Dogpatch Community Hub, among other projects.
UCSF’s contribution joins additional investments from city, state, and federal partners.
“This is another example of UCSF’s strong partnership with the City and County of San Francisco and our continued investment in the Bay Area,” said Dan Bernal, vice chancellor, UCSF Community and Government Relations. “After 150 years of partnership with the city, we are doubling down on the promise of San Francisco.”
Next steps
With the grant funding, the work for the terminal is currently in the design phase.
“Now is the time to build a ferry terminal at Mission Bay, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be difficult,” said Betsalel. “There are some new things we have to figure out.” Those new things include permitting for electric ferries and electric charging infrastructure, both firsts in the Bay Area’s ferry network.
Environmental regulations restricting work in San Francisco Bay will limit progress to specific “in-water windows” during the year, Betsalel said. Work is scheduled begin with maintenance dredging and marine demolition during those windows in 2025 and 2026, followed by construction of the ferry landing itself anticipated to begin in 2026.
It’s then expected to be completed by 2027.
Located just south of the future Mission Bay ferry terminal, Agua Vista Park will also see some landscape improvements as a result of the funds awarded by the EPA.
The Mission Bay route is expected to be the first of a network of zero-emission ferries across SF Bay Ferry’s footprint, mapping to places like Alameda, Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo.