Carteret gets final OK to begin building ferry terminal later this year
CARTERET – The borough has received the final permit needed from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction of the Carteret Ferry Terminal along the Arthur Kill later this year.
The permit follows years of work as well as fighting bureaucratic agencies at every level for the needed approvals, according to Mayor Daniel Reiman.
"Soon commuters and others traveling to Manhattan will have a fast and direct route from Carteret, avoiding the high costs of gasoline and the frustrations of driving into the city through the tunnels or bridges," Reiman said in a statement.
The permit grants approval for one-time construction dredging along the Arthur Kill for about 19,500 cubic yards to a maximum depth of 17 feet. The permit also allows Carteret to install about 130 feet of bulkhead, a 40-by-40-foot pier with two gangways for passengers to access the ferry, steel pilings, bumpers and a 200-foot-long wave screen.
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., who worked with the borough to secure the permits as well as provide access to federal and state funding, said he's excited to see the project get off the ground and provide service to New York City for work and pleasure.
Under the Reiman administration, the borough has received more than $30 million in federal and state grants toward the project, including two $6 million grants, one a Transit Ferry Boat Grant through NJ Transit and the other a U.S. Department of Transportation grant for a ferry terminal.
“Diversifying and expanding our transportation network with this ferry service is crucial to transforming life for Carteret residents and those in surrounding communities, whose contributions are important in sustaining our nation’s most economically productive region here in the Northeast,” Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said in a statement.
Carteret’s ferry service is slated to provide reliable, 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, according to Carteret officials.
Earlier: Carteret inks deal with NY Waterway for $2.25 million ferryboat
Earlier: Carteret ferry service to Manhattan gets $6 million boost from feds
“Adding this terminal will make Middlesex County one of the most connected regions in New Jersey, accessible by train, bus, highways, and in the near future, by water. As a Carteret resident, I’m especially excited to see the positive impact both economically and environmentally this new mass transportation option will make on our community at large,” Middlesex County Board of Commissioners Director Ron Rios said in a statement.
The ferry terminal is part of the mayor's vision to turn Carteret’s waterfront into a popular regional destination, with a fishing pier, public park, a 185-slip marina, a future events center at the park and a 2-mile Riverwalk funded through a grant from the Office of Natural Resource Restoration.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Carteret NJ ferry terminal gets final building approval
