The Borough of Carteret has gone out to bid for the construction of the 52,000-square-foot, four-level Carteret Intermodal Ferry Terminal Center, Mayor Daniel J. Reiman recently announced.
Planned for more than 15 years, the terminal recently received long-awaited federal and state funding and construction approvals to allow the project to move forward.
“You’re talking about something that is unmatched for the tri-state area in terms of a multipurpose terminal building,” said Mayor Reiman. “Think Grand Central Station in NYC or Union Station in D.C. This a 52,000-square-foot building. You’ll have a bar, lounge, restaurant, restrooms and ticketing area on the first floor. Second floor would be leasable office space. Then, you’ll have a restaurant, banquet hall and training center, topping it all off with rooftop amenities with panoramic views of the scenic Raritan Bay and New York City skyline.”
Each floor and the well-designed rooftop will be approximately 13,000 square feet, according to architect Tom Potter of Potter Architects in Union. The first floor also will include a grab ‘n’ go retail store, Mayor Reiman added.
Future rooftop amenities include a terrace with an outdoor multiuse area, a covered bar & grill, an outdoor stage for live music and rooms that can be used for meetings and special events. Down below, an outdoor deck will connect with a boardwalk that extends from Noes Creek to the border of Port Reading.
“Both the outdoor terrace and lower deck will have fabulous city views because they will be right on the water,” said Mayor Reiman.
The Reiman administration has secured more than $90 million in federal and state grants to pay for the entire ferry project, including $12 million in two Congressional appropriations, $6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, $6 million from the Federal Transit Authority and more than $12 million from the state Department of Transportation.
Work completed or in progress includes the installation of 130 feet of steel sheet pile bulkhead along the Arthur Kill waterfront; 19,500 cubic feet of dredging of the waterside of the bulkhead to achieve sufficient depths for the ferry slips and docking area; a 700-space parking lot; and two ferry boats. One of the boats, christened the Theodore Roosevelt, is docked at Carteret Municipal Marina, and the other is under construction in New Orleans.
“There will be two to three stops in Manhattan, leaving about four times a day and arriving back to Carteret four times a day,” said Mayor Reiman. “Four times in the morning and four times in the evening. That’s the initial projection. We’ll increase that as ridership demands.”
The intermodal aspect of the Ferry Terminal will allow NJ Transit buses, municipal jitneys and NJ Rideshare to drop passengers off. The jitney will pick up passengers throughout the Borough, as well as at Rahway Train Station. The boardwalk will allow commuters and other travelers to walk and bicycle to the ferry.
The terminal is expected to open in October 2027, but ferry service may be provided sooner through a kiosk on the dock of the ferry slips, Mayor Reiman said.
Benefits of the ferry include:
- Providing reliable, significantly quicker and more environmentally friendly transportation service to New York City
- Reducing congestion on the New Jersey Turnpike and roads leading from the Turnpike into the Holland and Lincoln tunnels
- Reducing reliance on the automobile in a densely populated area well-suited to the development of robust public transit service
- Providing redundant transportation service in instances of an emergency or a catastrophic event
- Providing an affordable, accessible and dynamic transportation system responsive to current and future customers
- Protection and improvement of the quality of the natural ecosystem and the human environment
- Retaining and increasing economic activity and competitiveness
- Transforming an area of environmental degradation into a catalyst for economic development
- Accommodating continued population growth in Carteret and the region
“Carteret is quickly becoming one of the most desired locations for commuters to call home,” said Mayor Reiman. “New residential and commercial opportunities, combined with our future ferry service, newly constructed Performing Arts and Events Center, upgraded parks and stable tax rates, solidify Carteret as a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
