Powhatan ferry under construction in Pascagoula, Mississippi
JAMESTOWN – The newest boat in the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry system will be named Powhatan, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) unanimously approved the vote on the new name.
The CTB naming resolution states the Powhatan represents “a strong name for a strong vessel.”
The new 70-vehicle ferry is currently under construction in Pascagoula, Mississippi and is expected to be delivered to VDOT in the Spring of 2018. It will be christened later this year.
The most recent ferry added to the system before the Powhatan was the Pocahontas, which was built in 1995. Powhatan was Pocahontas’ father and was chief of all the Algonquin tribes in the area.
The Powhatan will replace the ferry boat Virginia, which was built in 1936.
The ferry project is included in the commonwealth’s Six-Year-Improvement Plan for 2013-2018, with $2.5 million currently allocated for design, and $25 million allocated for construction in FY 2017-2018.
