Carteret Opens Marina And 1.5 Miles Of Waterfront Walkway

CARTERET, NJ — The borough of Carteret continues to significantly expand public access to its waterfront: First, Carteret opened its first-ever municipal marina last month (slips are still available), and they plan to open up 1.5 miles of walkway at Waterfront Park along the Arthur Kill.

This public walkway will include a 1-mile boardwalk from Waterfront Park south to the border of Woodbridge at Tuft’s Point. It will then run half a mile north to Noe’s Creek Tributary.

The park is not constructed yet.

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.

Prior to this, there was no public access to Carteret’s waterfront. All of these changes have taken place under Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, who hopes to one day have New York City ferry service come to his town in the future.

“Carteret’s waterfront is now a jewel of the region, with unprecedented public access to the Arthur Kill River,” said Mayor Reiman. “My administration has worked tirelessly to receive approvals for public walkways, our new Municipal Marina, future events center and Ferry Terminal. Now our vision is coming to fruition for the public to enjoy.”

Future planned improvements will include a ferry station with service to Manhattan, parking for commuters, security cameras, lighting, benches, bike racks, educational signs and a Waterfront Events Center. The plans are ambitious, but funding for all of it has not yet been secured. Also, a ferry provider has yet to commit to Carteret.

In addition to the pier, Carteret obtained 10 acres of land along its waterfront in a 2010 settlement with E.I. Dupont chemical company. As part of the settlement, DuPont admitted to polluting land in Carteret, and gave the land to the town. Carteret was also provided with $13.25 million in grants from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, thanks to a settlement between the state of New Jersey and Occidental Chemical Company. Occidental’s subsidiary, Diamond Shamrock Chemical Company, admitted to intentionally polluting the Passaic River, which connects with the Arthur Kill.

Do you have a boat? As Patch reported, Carteret opened its municipal boating marina in April. The marina contains 190 boat slips, floating docks, a wave attenuator and fueling station. Slips are offered at the lowest price in the region along the river, at $110 per foot. Carteret residents are offered an even lower rate at $95 per foot. Slips contracts and registration are available at Carteret.net/Marina, for seasonal, annual or monthly rentals.

Past Patch reporting:

New Carteret Marina Will Open This Spring; Boat Slips Available