Carteret Officially Opens Marina, Free Slips For Boro Residents

CARTERET, NJ — Big things continue to happen for Woodbridge's neighbor to the north, Carteret.

Governor Phil Murphy and Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ 6) were on hand Saturday in Carteret to officially cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the 185-slip boat Carteret Municipal Marina.

Back in February, Patch was the first to report that Carteret was getting its own town marina: The marina opened for the first time this summer 2019 and is located along the Arthur Kill River at Carteret's Waterfront Park, 200 Middlesex Avenue. There are 185 slips, gas and diesel fueling stations, a sanitary pump-out and a 17-foot draft.

Slips start at $110 per foot, and Carteret residents are offered an even lower rate at $95 per foot. Boats began docking there in April and there are still many slips available, a spokesman for the town of Carteret told Patch. You can do seasonal, annual or monthly slip rentals.

The marina was fully funded through $42 million in local, state, and federal grants, lawsuits and settlements with chemical companies. The area was, at one point, home to the largest Mahogany plant in the world. Ichabad T. Williams & Sons (IT Williams).

"It's proof that it takes a village," said Gov. Murphy on Saturday. "This marina shows what can be done when all of us, across all levels of government work together for the betterment of our communities."

The marina is just one part of a larger 10-year project to improve public access along the Arthur Kill. The 26-acre Waterfront Park now includes a fishing pier, a free boat launch, a miniature golf course, golf putting green, volleyball and bocce ball courts.

What about Carteret ferry service to NYC?

What remains to be seen is whether Carteret will be able to bring commuter ferry service to the park, as Mayor Dan Reiman has often said he would like to achieve.

A 1996 Port Authority study determined Carteret’s waterfront along the Arthur Kill Channel to be the best location in Middlesex County for ferry service to Lower Manhattan.

Then in 2018, Carteret secured $6 million in federal funding, specifically earmarked to purchase a 299-seat passenger ferry. That ferry will be leased to the borough of Carteret for $1 per year.

However, a ferry provider has not been secured, and a ferry terminal has yet to be built. If more funding can be secured, the town of Carteret says a terminal could be open by 2022.

While the ferry still remains a question, Carteret will definitely be adding 1.5 miles of public walkway, connecting with Woodbridge: The walkway will run south from Waterfront Park to the border of Woodbridge at Tuft's Point. It will then run half a mile north to Noe's Creek Tributary. Construction on the walkway to Woodbridge should start by late fall of 2019 and will last for approximately 18 months.

In the future, Carteret will also be rehabilitating 400 feet of an abandoned pier next to the old U.S. Metals Refining Property. Carteret acquired that pier in a settlement with the company in 2017. Additionally, the State Police Marina Unit relocated from Newark Bay to the Carteret waterfront in 2014, when they constructed a 4,400 square foot barracks at the site.

A waterfront events center remains in the works: $1.5 million has been secured so far for that, and Carteret is investigating other funding options.

“Nearly two miles of public access along our eastern shoreline, including our ferry, marina, events center, and walkway is a remarkable fete for a community that had no public access to the waterfront for over 100 years,” said Mayor Reiman. "Carteret's waterfront is now a jewel of the region, with unprecedented public access to the Arthur Kill."

The borough is offering Carteret residents a complimentary boat slip pass for the two-week period between June 8, 2019 through June 22, 2019, as a way to introduce residents to the marina. For more information, please contact (732) 541-3110 or visit the Borough tax office with your current boat license and a copy of your boat registration. Learn more at Carteret.net/Marina.

Ongoing Patch reporting on development at Carteret's waterfront:

Carteret Trying To Launch Ferry Service To Manhattan

New Carteret Marina Will Open This Spring; Boat Slips Available

Carteret Opens Marina And 1.5 Miles Of Waterfront Walkway