| Ferry boat doing test runs between Carteret and NYC three years ago |
Ferry service between Middlesex County and New York City, talked about since the 1990s, could set sail soon now that federal officials have awarded a $6 million grant to purchase a boat.
The Federal Transit Administration awarded the grant this week to NJ Transit to purchase a 299-seat ferry for a proposed Carteret to Manhattan route. NJ Transit applied on behalf of Carteret , which will receive the money.
The Federal Transit Administration awarded the grant this week to NJ Transit to purchase a 299-seat ferry for a proposed Carteret to Manhattan route. NJ Transit applied on behalf of Carteret , which will receive the money.
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The ferry route from Carteret's Waterfront Park, along the Arthur Kill to midtown, could transport passengers to the city in 54-minutes.
Ferry service from Middlesex County and Staten island was first studied by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1996, which recommended Carteret because of its location along the Arthur Kill.
The grant is the most significant recent step since a ferry was brought in to conduct test runs in 2015. That route took the Arthur Kill to the Kill Van Kull through New York Harbor, and ended at Pier 11 in New York.
Work to get federal funding for various stages of the project started when now U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, D-N.J., was a congressman and Carteret was part of his district.
"It was 22 years ago, that the Port Authority first found this would be an ideal place for ferry service into Manhattan," Menendez said. "So, I've long known what a new ferry would mean for this community - faster commutes, greater access to jobs, and better quality of life."
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