Carteret, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman was joined by New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin to announce a $5 million grant awarded to the Borough of Carteret from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Trust Fund for the upcoming Carteret Ferry Terminal.
“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 Dan Reiman. “Thank you to Governor Murphy and Speaker Coughlin for stepping up and providing funding that will make this vision a reality in the near future.”
The grant is part of the NJDOT’s Smart Move Program, which aims to provide congestion relief and intelligent transportation system improvements throughout the state.
Carteret’s Ferry Project will provide an additional option for Carteret and commuters in neighboring communities 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 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 $5 million NJDOT grant is in addition to a $6 million Federal Transit Administration grant awarded in 2018 to NJ Transit for Carteret Ferry service, and nearly $4 million previously secured by Senator Bob Menendez as part of the SAFTE-LU Bill and Transportation Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
The 19th District delegation of Senator Joseph Vitale, Speaker Craig Coughlin and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez issued the following joint statement:
“This $5 million grant awarded by the NJDOT for the Carteret Ferry Terminal, as well as the over $10 million awarded to Carteret by federal government are a direct result of Mayor Reiman and his administration’s unrelenting effort to bring ferry service to Carteret. Mayor Reiman’s administration has battled bureaucratic red tape at the Federal and state level for years and now his vision to bring Ferry service to Carteret will soon be a reality.”
Studies determined Carteret’s waterfront along the Arthur Kill Channel, separating Middlesex County and Staten Island, to be a viable
location for ferry service to Manhattan. Carteret’s new ferry service will provide reliable, significantly quicker and more environmentally-friendly transportation service to New York City, cutting 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 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 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; and
- Accommodating continued population growth in Carteret and the 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, a future events center at the park, and a $13.25 million boardwalk and river walk funded through a grant from the Office of Natural Resource Restoration, a Department of the NJ State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
“Our nearly 2 miles of public access along our eastern shoreline, including our ferry, marina, events center, and walkway is a remarkable feat for a community that had no public access to the waterfront for over 100 years,” concluded Mayor Reiman.
For more information on Carteret’s Ferry Terminal and Waterfront Park, please visit Carteret.net.
