Carteret, NJ – Mayor Dan Reiman and Councilman Vinny Bellino have announced that construction has begun on the extension to the Veterans Memorial Fishing Pier at Carteret Waterfront Park. The Borough has awarded a $2.589 million contract for construction of the pier extension to Atlantic Subsea, Inc..
The Bridgeport-based marine construction company will build the 700’ pier extension 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, allowing larger recreational boats and small cruise lines to pick up and drop off passengers.
The project 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.
Atlantic Subsea is one of the largest marine companies in the northeast United States. The firm has been accredited as the source of many technical and procedural innovations within its field. Based in Bridgeport, New Jersey, Atlantic Subsea has direct access to major ports and waterfront agencies on the eastern seaboard, with extensive experience in underwater and marine engineering and certification by Lloyds, Det Noske Veritas, ABS, and Federal and State Government Agencies.
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.
To date, $7.5 million in state and county appropriations have been expended on the development of Waterfront Park, the single largest parks development project in Carteret’s history. 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, “A major part of our vision for the Waterfront has been integration with the greater region through accommodations for commercial and recreational boaters, and a future terminal for commuters heading to or from Manhattan. The pier extension will serve as a new resource for passive recreation, and pave the way for continuing improvements to this former brownfields area.”
