Carteret takes another step toward offering ferry to NYC
CARTERET – The borough has moved another step closer to offering ferry service by going out to bid recently for waterside improvements to the ferry terminal and Intermodal Transportation Building on a remediated seven-acre former DuPont Chemical site.
Following state Department of Transportation design approvals, the ferry terminal construction is slated to include an in-water fixed pier, floating docks for passenger loading and unloading, connecting gangways, timber ramps, a wave screen and steel piers.
A timber staircase will connect the floating dock with the ferry boat and two parallel aluminum gangways will connect the fixed pier to the floating dock. Funding will come from grants from NJDOT, the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection and Federal Transit Authority.
The fixed pier will be 25 feet long by 16 feet wide, and the floating dock will be 40 feet long by 40 feet wide with gangways measuring 65 feet long by 5 feet wide. A design is in the works, according to Mayor Daniel Reiman.
Contract documents and plans for the proposed ferry terminal work are available through the consulting engineers T&M Associates at 11 Tindall Road in Middletown or by emailing requests to psirico@tandmassociates.com.
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The upland phase is expected to start as soon as possible with the construction of a 700-space parking lot that will include lighting, utilities and, to mitigate storm water runoff, inlets, porous pavement, and high-density polyethylene and reinforced concrete pipes.
The Reiman administration, which began studying the feasibility of a ferry project 15 years ago, has secured $48 million from various funding sources for the ferry project, including a Federal Transit Administration grant and a 2023 Congressional appropriation.
Pending Federal Transit Administration review, finals designs will begin for the Intermodal Transportation Building, which will include a bar, lounge, restaurant, restrooms, ticketing area, office space, and banquet hall, Reiman said.
The bulkhead for the ferry terminal was completed in October 2022. NJDOT Office Maritime Resources completed the dredging in January.
Reimain said the ferry has sparked interest by two hotel groups to operate full-scale hotels within the waterfront redevelopment area. One is part of Carteret Stages, a designated and approved $1 billion waterfront redevelopment project that also includes 500,000 square feet of studio soundstage and film production facilities, as well as commercial and office space, restaurants, retail, and a 1,200-car parking garage.
Nearby South Amboy celebrated the launch of its long-awaited ferry service to New York City last week. NY Waterway offers direct routes from the ferry landing at 100 Radford Ferry Road in South Amboy to Downtown at Brookfield Place and Midtown at West 39th St.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Carteret NJ takes another step toward offering ferry to NYC
