CARTERET, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman joined with Gov. Phil Murphy and New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin to announce $7.75 million in funding for the Carteret Ferry Terminal Project, slated to break ground by the Summer of 2022.
With the support and collaboration of the Murphy Administration, a $6.75 million grant has been allocated from the FY 2022 Local Transportation Projects Fund, administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and an additional $1 million through the NJ State Budget towards the acquisition of a commuter ferry boat.
“The State is proud to make this smart investment in mass transit that will benefit existing and new Carteret residents,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Funding our transportation infrastructure has been and will continue to be a priority of our Administration.”
“The commute from Carteret to Manhattan will soon take even less time with a new direct ferry route from the Borough to Midtown and Wall Street,” said Mayor Reiman. “Thank you to Governor Murphy, Speaker Coughlin and our legislative delegation for stepping up and providing this much needed infrastructure investment to make this long-awaited project a reality in the very near future.”
These funds announced today are in addition to $5.04 million budgeted in the NJDOT’s FY 2021 capital program for the ferry terminal, a $6 million Federal Transit Administration grant awarded in 2018 for the acquisition of a ferry boat, and nearly $2.3 million previously secured by Senator Bob Menendez as part of the SAFETEA-LU transportation bills adopted by Congress nearly a decade ago.
The Borough also recently partnered with NJ TRANSIT, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Middlesex County to apply for additional Federal Transportation funds towards additional ferry boats and the ferry terminal building. Carteret’s Ferry Terminal will provide an additional option for Carteret and regional commuters in neighboring communities and counties travelling to Manhattan. The ferry terminal will be the cornerstone for the development of a mixed-use community with condominium, office and retail space, and boardwalk shops. In addition, a parking lot with over 700 parking spaces will be constructed, as well as a 20-foot-wide elevated pedestrian boardwalk connecting the parking lot and the ferry loading area.
Planned construction will include a future ferry terminal building, sidewalks, pile wall, timber staircase, timber ramps, gangways, fixed pier, floating docks for passenger loading/unloading, wave screen, and a handicap access ramp.
“The $7.75 million in funding awarded by the State for the Carteret Ferry Terminal as well as the millions awarded by the federal government are a direct result of Mayor Reiman’s perseverance in bringing bring ferry service to Carteret,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. “Diversifying and expanding our network of transportation infrastructure is crucial to most efficiently getting people to and from work in one of our country’s most economically productive regions and I applaud partnership at federal, state, county, and city levels to see this vision become a reality for Carteret residents and commuters.”
“NJDOT is pleased that it can support this very important project”, said Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation. “Providing convenient and efficient commuter services through this new port continues the Administration’s commitment to a strong transit system.”
Carteret announced in September that the NJ Department of Environmental Protection issued the Borough a permit for dredging of the Arthur Kill to accommodate the ferries at the new terminal. The Borough has also received a draft permit by the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and is anticipating final issuance of the permit in the coming weeks.
The NJDOT’s Office of Maritime Resources (OMR) has called for dredging companies with experience in the New York/New Jersey Harbor and the Delaware River areas to pre-qualify for various 2022 dredging projects across the state. The Borough has submitted a Request for Proposals to the NJDOT of final designs for the Ferry Terminal and is waiting on approval before issuing the RFP to the public. NJ TRANSIT has issued a Request for Proposals to boat yards and builders for construction of the previously awarded and fully funded 149-passenger ferry boat.
Carteret and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are currently out to bid for an additional 149-passenger ferry boat. The Borough anticipates final design to be completed by early 2022 with upland construction and site work to begin by the Summer of 2022. Carteret’s ferry service will provide reliable, significantly quicker, and more environmentally friendly transportation service to New York City. It will cut travel times to Manhattan to under an hour, while reducing traffic congestion on the New Jersey Turnpike and approaches to the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels by getting more commuters out of their cars. Additional benefits include: Reducing reliance on the automobile in a densely populated area well-suited to the development of robust public transit service. Providing redundant transportation service in instances of an emergency or a catastrophic event.
Providing an affordable, accessible, and dynamic transportation system responsive to current and future customers. Protection and improvement of the quality 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 Central New Jersey region.
“Carteret is quickly becoming one of the most desired locations for commuters to call home,” said Mayor Reiman. “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 Carteret Ferry Terminal is part of Mayor Reiman’s vision to turn Carteret’s waterfront into a popular regional destination, which now includes a waterfront fishing pier, public park, a 185-slip marina, and a 2-mile river walk that’s currently under construction funded through a grant from the Office of Natural Resource Restoration, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
