Carteret, NJ – Mayor Dan Reiman has announced that the long awaited pier extension to the Veterans Memorial Fishing Pier at Carteret Waterfront Park is well into construction and is expected to conclude early this fall.
In January, Mayor Reiman and Council President Vinny Bellino announced that a $350,000 grant was awarded to Carteret through the Middlesex County Open Space Fund. The award was applied towards improvements that had recently begun at the Veterans Memorial Fishing Pier.
A formal presentation was made by Freeholder Ronald G. Rios at the Borough’s Reorganization Meeting that month.
The Borough awarded a $2.589 million contract for construction of the pier extension to Atlantic Subsea, Inc., calling for a 700’ pier extension to be built southward from Waterfront Park’s Veterans’ Memorial Fishing Pier, along with additional enhancements to the existing structure. The project has been designed to allow for greater usage of the Borough’s waterfront property resource, also providing for mooring bollards to be constructed along the existing promenade, and allowing larger recreational boats and small cruise lines to pick up and drop off passengers.
The extension itself will serve both as an additional resource for passive recreation and a breakwater for the park’s future marina, which will represent Phase III of the Waterfront Park development. Once completed, the pier extension will serve as a breakwater for the pending marina, which will host up to 276 slips and various amenities for regional boaters, as well as additional recreational resources and local Port Authority facilities.
As the site of the town’s now annual Independence Day Festival and its “Concerts by the Bay” series, Waterfront Park has become a regional attraction. Currently the 17 acre park hosts nature trails, exercise stations, a children’s play area, a gazebo/bandstand, miniature golf, a boat launch, putting green, and sensory garden.
Other plans for the town’s formerly abandoned waterfront properties include the establishment of a transit village and the Borough’s future public transit ferry, which will offer traffic-free commuter access to Manhattan.
Mayor Reiman said, “This project represents the gateway to the transformation of our waterfront cove. This formerly neglected resource will soon serve as a marina, and the hub of further economic growth and recreational enhancements along the borough’s waterfront property. We’re especially grateful to the Middlesex County Freeholder Board who have recognized the value of this project, and provided the financial catalyst that has made it a reality.”
