Dredging Complete For Carteret Ferry Terminal

CARTERET, NJ — The dredging for the Carteret ferry terminal that started this winter in the Arthur Kill is now complete, the state Dept. of Transportation announced Friday.

Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman said the next step is the town will go out to bid in early spring for a firm to actually build the ferry terminal itself.

“We expect to be ... in the ground on the water side by early summer with construction of the ferry terminal,” said Reiman. “If all goes well, we’re looking at a fall ’24 or spring ’25 opening."

But Reiman is hoping that ferry service will start out of Carteret much sooner than that:

There is an existing pier on the Carteret waterfront and "we’re exploring the possibility of utilizing our existing pier for temporary service," said Reiman this week. "We’re looking at the regulatory agencies — what’s permitted, what’s not permitted — because that’s a Green Acres pier. We’re looking to see whether or not that’s feasible."

Carteret already purchased a single ferry, and is looking to acquire a second boat in about 18 months.

“The (ferry) building itself may take a little longer, but the infrastructure will be put in place, the parking will be put in place,” Reiman continued this week. “We could always operate a ticket booth out of a kiosk and a smartphone until the terminal building is built."

The dredging was the first major step in the project. Dredging operations began in December and work took place seven days a week. The state Dept. of Transportation's contractor, Donjon Marine Co., Inc, removed more than 20,000 cubic yards of sediment from the proposed berth in preparation for construction of the ferry terminal.

The dredged material was processed and will be used as cover for the Middlesex County Utility Authority landfill.

Reiman further gushed about his dream for how the Carteret ferry terminal will look.

"Once the terminal building is built, you’re talking about something that is unheard of for the tristate area in terms of a terminal building," he said. "Think Grand Central station. This a 40,000-square-foot building. You’ve got a bar, lounge, restaurant, restrooms and ticketing area on the first floor. Second floor would be leasable office space. You’d have two stories of office space. Then you’d have a banquet hall and training center. You’d also have a bed & breakfast with 20 suites overlooking the ferry for those who are coming in and staying overnight."

Carteret Reveals First Look At Its Proposed Ferry Terminal (Jan. 2023)