Posted on September 21, 2021
CARTERET – The borough has taken another step forward with plans for a ferry terminal, following the recent approval of a long-awaited state Department of Environmental Protection watershed dredging permit.
“This is one of the final steps and approvals Carteret needs to construct the ferry terminal our community has desired and fought for,” Mayor Dan Reiman said in a statement. “The ferry terminal will provide Carteret and our region with an alternative to bus and train service by utilizing Carteret’s direct waterfront access to the Arthur Kill River.”
The permit authorizes the construction of 696 parking spaces, stormwater infrastructure, a terminal building, a 200-foot floating wave screen, a 49-by-10-foot aluminum gangway, a 27-by-10-foot aluminum gangway, a 40-by-40-foot floating platform, a 30-by-15-foot platform, 18 30-inch piles supporting a floating donut fender, 12 18-inch piles supporting floating docks/platforms, 18 12-inch piles supporting a wave screen, a 36-inch stormwater outfall, 150 linear feet of rip rap shoreline stabilization, a timber access stairway, a timber access ramp, a 20-by-20-foot timber platform, an approximately 150-foot steel sheet pile wall, and approximately 18,173 cubic yards of mechanical dredging.
The terminal will be used by two, 80-foot ferry boats, each with a 149-passenger capacity, which will provide service to numerous stops in Manhattan.
Reducing congestion
The ferries also are expected to help reduce congestion on the New Jersey Turnpike and roads leading from the Turnpike to the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, reduce reliance on vehicles in a densely populated area, and provide additional transportation options in the event of an emergency or a catastrophe.
Related: House OKs funding for Carteret Ferry Terminal project
Also: $10 million riverwalk will connect Carteret and Woodbridge
The New Jersey Department of Transportation Office of Maritime Resources anticipates the marine dredge portion of the project to start in 2022.
The Carteret Ferry Terminal is part of the mayor’s vision to turn the waterfront into a popular regional destination with a waterfront fishing pier, a public park, a 185-
slip marina, an events center at the park, and a $13.25 million boardwalk and river walk funded through a grant from the DEP’s Office of Natural Resource Restoration.
“Our nearly 2 miles of public access along our eastern shoreline, including our ferry, marina, events center, and walkway is a remarkable feat for a community that had no public access to the waterfront for over 100 years,” Reiman said.
Carteret has applied for and is waiting on final approval of a development permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is expected in 2022.
