The city of South Amboy and NY Waterway hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday launching a new ferry service that connects South Amboy and Manhattan. South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry, NY Waterway CEO Armand Pohan, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. and other dignitaries were on hand in support of the launch.
Pallone (D-6th Dist.) advocated for the $5.3 million in federal funding that was awarded from the Federal Transit Administration in support of the city’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program application. The project will help meet commuter demand between Central Jersey and New York City and strengthen the area’s economy.
“I’m proud to join state and local leaders in South Amboy today to witness the launch of the ferry. This moment is the culmination of years of hard work from everyone joining us today. The South Amboy ferry will give residents a new way to commute between Central Jersey and New York City and reduce traffic congestion,” Pallone said. “The ferry will also bolster economic opportunities in the city and surrounding area. I’m glad to see the federal funding I helped secure for the project in action, and I want to thank everyone who joined us today for their dedication to this important project.”
The ferry is expected to service over 1,000 daily riders during each weekday and 250 daily riders on weekend days. This corresponds to an annual weekday ridership of 260,000 and annual weekend ridership of 26,000, with a total annual ridership of 286,000 that will greatly lower daily commuter traffic congestion between Central New Jersey and Manhattan.
