FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bob Makin ([email protected], 732-541-3835)
Carteret ferry project moves forward
with construction of steel bulkhead
NJDOT dredging project has begun Phase 2
CARTERET, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman announced that the Borough has taken major steps forward in constructing its long-planned ferry terminal with the completion of Phase 1 and the beginning of Phase 2 for the game-changing state-of-the-art transportation project.
Phase 1 included the installation of approximately 130 linear feet of steel sheet pile bulkhead along the Arthur Kill waterfront that will be home to the future ferry terminal landing. The $473,258 contract was awarded to Agate Construction of Clermont in June. Work began and was completed in November of this year.
The next phase of the ferry terminal includes dredging the waterside of the bulkhead to achieve sufficient depths for the ferry slips and docking area. At a cost of approximately $2.5 million, this work includes 19,500 cubic feet of dredging and is overseen by the state Department of Transportation Office of Maritime Resources. The Borough received full funding for these phases of the project last year from the New Jersey DOT Transportation Capital Trust Fund.
“These are the first steps in what will be a spectacular transportation project on a constantly evolving waterfront,” Mayor Reiman said. “Eventually, there will be restaurants, bars, retail shops, a movie production studio, and office space that will help to transform our once entirely industrial waterfront into a work-eat-play destination.”
The Borough and NJDOT are currently finalizing bid documents for the next two phases, Mayor Reiman said, which is the construction of waterside improvements and upland site work.
Waterside improvements will include docking and slips. The site improvements will include a 700-space parking lot, is anticipated to break ground in 2023, and immediately will be followed by a 20-foot-wide elevated pedestrian boardwalk connecting the parking lot and the ferry loading area. The boardwalk is expected to be completed in 2024, Mayor Reiman said.
Additionally, the Borough is in final design for an intermodal transportation building, which will host a ticket office, restrooms, bar, lounge, office space, restaurants and retail.
Benefits of the ferry include:
- Providing reliable and significantly quicker and more environmentally-friendly transportation service to New York City
- Reducing congestion on the New Jersey Turnpike and roads leading from the Turnpike into the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels
- Reducing reliance on the automobile in a densely populated area well-suited to the development of robust public transit service
- Providing transportation service in instances of an emergency or catastrophic event
- Providing an affordable, accessible, and dynamic transportation system responsive to current and future customers
- Protection and improvement of the natural ecosystem and the human environment
- Retaining and increasing economic activity and competitiveness
- Transforming an area of environmental degradation into a catalyst for economic development
- Accommodating continued population growth in Carteret and the region.
“Carteret is quickly becoming one of the most desired locations for commuters to call home,” Mayor Reiman said. “New residential and commercial opportunities, combined with our future ferry service, newly constructed Performing Arts and Events Center, upgraded parks, and stable tax rates solidify Carteret as a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
The Reiman Administration has brought in an additional $37 million in grants from the federal and state government toward the Carteret Ferry project, including:
- $2,213,833 from TEA-21 SAFETEA-LU Congressional Priority Earmarks
- $5,037,000 from an NJDOT FY’21 Smart Move Program Grant
- $6,000,000 from a USFTA-NJ 2017 Transit Ferry Boat Grant through NJ Transit
- $1,037,000 from an NJDOT Transportation Match for Ferry Boat
- $6,747,795 from NJDOT FY’22 Transportation Trust Fund
- $678,973 from NJDOT FY’21 Local Aid for Ferry Road Extension
- $750,000 from US ARA Sewer/Water Explain Extension
- $6,000,000 from USDOT for Ferry Terminal Building
- $8,000,000 from New Jersey State using federal America Recovery Act Fund.
The Carteret Ferry Terminal is part of Mayor Reiman’s vision to turn Carteret’s once inaccessible completely industrial waterfront into a popular regional destination. The waterfront now includes a fishing pier, a public park, a mini golf course, a 185-slip marina, a future events center, and a recent expansion of a Riverwalk that soon will open.
The seven-acre site of the ferry terminal is on a former industrial property north of Waterfront Park, the balance of which the Borough will obtain to develop a movie studio, hotel and more.
“Like so many of these projects that we plan in Carteret, these are game changers,” Mayor Reiman said. “They create jobs, put people to work, pay significant taxes, and significant economic benefits to the community. They continue to change and improve the community.”
Updates about the ferry terminal will be available at Carteret.net or by following @MyCarteret on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
CAPTIONS
Photo 1 – A look at the state Department of Transportation Office of Maritime Resources’ dredging work within Phase 2 of the construction of the Carteret Ferry Terminal. Behind the dredge work along the shore is the steel bulkhead that recently was constructed in Phase 1 of the project.
Photo 2 – The Carteret Intermodal Transportation Building and its ferry terminal will be located on a former industrial site along the Arthur Kill.
