HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Hillsborough County Commission abandoned plans to operate a new ferry in the southern portion of the county on Wednesday.

Commissioners voted to end a public-private partnership aiming to implement a commuter ferry in the southern portion of Hillsborough County. The project, dubbed a “ferry tale” by some, had been in the works for a decade.

The ferry would have cut across Hillsborough Bay, traveling from Riverview to MacDill Air Force Base, with the goal of eliminating a lengthy and often congested commute up Interstate 75 and down through South Tampa.

County leaders sought to end the contract agreement with the ferry service because they were having trouble getting the project off the ground. The company also operates the Cross Bay Ferry that runs from Tampa to St. Pete, but Wednesday’s vote does not affect that service.

In addition to the inertia, commissioners said they were worried about the rising costs of the south county ferry project. The projected cost of building the terminals and purchasing boats increased by 45% in recent years. It coincides with a loss in expected project funding after the county’s 1% transportation tax was struck down last year.

There could be some relief on the way for commuters in the rapidly-expanding south Hillsborough County. Commissioners recently approved plans to look into expanding the Selmon Expressway south to Riverview.