In the Works: More Ferries, Better Access
Since the return of a private ferry system to New York Harbor in 1986,
terminal access has been a constant problem for what could be low-cost
means of reducing road congestion. Currently, NY Waterways' cadre of free
red, white, and blue shuttle buses that pick up and drop off commuters
in Manhattan is the only service that ameliorates cramped parking lots.
However, with some of a new set of planned ferry expansions and experiments,
NY Waterways and others have gotten smart and built in transit access
components:
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Two new Waterway routes are set to open this summer, one from Newport in
Jersey City, the other from northern Hoboken to Manhattan's West 38th St.
dock. A shuttle bus at both locations would make PATH and NJ Transit connections
possible.
By 2002, four new stops on the Hudson-Bergen light rail line will open
along the Jersey City and Hoboken waterfronts, providing direct NJ Transit
train access to already existing East River ferry service. Waterways
also hopes to launch a service designed to carry Newark airport passengers
between terminals in Elizabeth and Lower Manhattan by the Fall of 2001.
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The National Parks Service has recently given permission for the use of
Federal land at the former Coast Guard Base at the Gateway National Recreation
Area as temporary docking area for a Rockaways-Manhattan ferry. Gateway
is soliciting proposals from operators and hopes to begin a pilot service
by Memorial Day. The long term plan described by a Gateway superintendent
includes the provision of buses that would bring residents to the terminal.
Other new services could chip away at bridge bottlenecks in the Hudson
Valley and Middlesex County, NJ.
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Rush hour ferry service between Haverstraw (Rockland County) to Ossining
(Westchester County) is set to begin this summer. A DOT pilot project overseen
by the MTA and operated by NY Waterways, the service is an attempt to
provide modest relief to congestion on the Tappan-Zee Bridge. In Ossining
the service will be coordinated with the departure and arrival of Metro-North
express trains to Manhattan. Construction of the 256-car parking lot in
Haverstraw is on the Planning Board fast-track to begin work next month.
The Board might also consider a jitney service to bring commuters to ferries
in order to avoid future overflow or traffic back-ups.
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In addition to the new routes discussed above, NY Waterways is exploring
the development of a high speed ferry between South Amboy and Manhattan.
The service could improve traffic flow at the choke point where Routes
35, 9 and the GSP cross the Raritan River.
