Carteret Trying To Launch Ferry Service To Manhattan

CARTERET, NJ — Carteret is trying to launch ferry service to Manhattan, Mayor Dan Reiman announced in his state of the borough address Tuesday night.

Last month, representatives from Carteret met in Trenton with the state Department of Transportation and the federal Highway Administration.

“It was our obligation to demonstrate the viability of ferry service to Manhattan from Carteret," said Mayor Reiman. "Today, I am happy to report that the borough has been advised that this inter-governmental review committee has agreed to advance our ferry project. Just last week we received approval to finally begin preliminary design work.”

The ferry terminal — if it's built — would lie north of Carteret's waterfront park along the Arthur Kill. It would take about 25 minutes to reach Lower Manhattan.

In 2006 Carteret was awarded a $1.68 million federal earmark for the construction of a ferry terminal through the Federal TEA-21 act. Carteret is still working to secure the nearly 3 million dollars in federal funding that are needed for the project.

Ultimately the project will allow for marine facilities for docking and loading, a 350-car parking lot and drop-off area, a terminal building for ticket purchases, as well as a coffee shop. If the ferry terminal is built, Carteret would like to see a waterfront transit village built there, which would be a mixed-use community comprised of luxury condominiums and boardwalk shops, all with ferry access to Manhattan.

“Ferry service between Carteret and Manhattan is an idea whose time has come," vowed Mayor Reiman on Tuesday night. "There is no amount of bureaucratic red tape and no way we will allow out of control federal agencies to stop us from reaching this important goal. We will persevere, and we will win the fight.”

Big changes are coming to Carteret: The Carteret marina, which consists of 200 slips at the Borough’s Waterfront Park, is slated to open this summer. A $13.25 million grant from the Department of Environmental Protection will enable the Borough to construct a boardwalk and river walk along the Arthur Kill Channel.

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