NYC Ferry (formerly Citywide Ferry) last year released plans for five new ferry routes covering 60 miles of NYC waterways.
On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the South Brooklyn ferry will set sail on June 1 from Bay Ridge’s 69th Street pier and make stops at Brooklyn Army Terminal, Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 near Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 in DUMBO and Pier 11 on Wall Street.
The five new ferry routes connecting the boroughs are Soundview in the Bronx, Astoria in Queens, South Brooklyn, Rockaway and Lower East Side, Manhattan.
The Rockaway route will be launched May 1, a month ahead of schedule, along with the East River route, which is already in place. Rockaway will go from Rockaway to the Brooklyn Army Terminal to Pier 11 in Manhattan. Astoria will launch in August and Soundview and Lower East Side are set to begin in 2018.
Elana Ehrenberg, NYC Ferry by Hornblower Community Development supervisor; and Franny Civiano, Hornblower director of Community Development and Guest Services, presented the ferry plans at the Brooklyn Colonial Club’s bi-monthly meeting on Thursday.
Hornblower is the operator of the new ferry system.
Councilmember Vincent Gentile said, “I am ecstatic that NYC Ferry will be ready to set sail in 2017 beginning June 1 in South Brooklyn. If you look at a map of New York, you’ll see a whole lot of blue. Indeed, before there was a city, there was a harbor. Right along with San Francisco and Hong Kong, New York City has one of the greatest natural harbors in the entire world — and now the waterfront of southern Brooklyn will be connected to it all.
“We must keep pace with New York City’s rapid growth and the five-borough ferry service will not only generate jobs but also serve as a catalyst for expansion in communities where housing and employment are rising,” Gentile added. “Thank you, [Economic Development Corp.], and thank you, Mayor de Blasio, for anchoring this initiative and continuing your groundbreaking work towards making our city the standard for citywide transit be it rail, road or water.”
Ehrenberg said the hope is that people will use this as a viable alternative for commuting. With the many problems that affect the R subway line, this program was designed to make people’s lives “a little bit easier and a little bit more enjoyable,” he said.
De Blasio and the New York City Economic Development Corporation initiated this $55 million-dollar project in February 2016.
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Additional reporting by Kathryn Cardin and Scott Enman.
