Brooklyn Boro

Staten Island borough president calls for Brooklyn to St. George ferry route

January 13, 2017 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Staten Island Borough President James Oddo. Photo courtesy of James Oddo’s office
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Staten Island Borough President James Oddo is asking the city to “right a wrong” by creating an additional ferry route on the proposed Citywide Ferry Service between Brooklyn and St. George, Staten Island. 

The $325 million five-borough ferry initiative, which was proposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in his 2015 State of the City address, is scheduled to begin this year. The new ferry service will make stops in Bay Ridge, the Brooklyn Army Terminal, Red Hook, Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 in DUMBO and Manhattan’s Pier 11 at Wall Street.

“The fact is connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn via ferry is not a novel concept,” Oddo told the Brooklyn Eagle. “In fact, for more than 50 years, we were connected to Bay Ridge by boat. This connection was essential for families and for individuals to access the subway system and the rest of the city.

“Brooklyn can serve as an additional gateway to the other boroughs from Staten Island. In addition, the island offers jobs, recreational opportunities and shopping that Brooklynites regularly access. This connection would simplify their travel as well.”

In a letter written to Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen last month, Oddo explained why a new route would not just benefit residents of Staten Island, but Brooklynites as well.

“The $1 billion-plus investment in the New York Wheel, Empire Outlets and Lighthouse Point will undoubtedly attract millions of visitors and will provide New Yorkers with thousands of jobs, many of whom will seek alternative methods of transportation,” wrote Oddo. “This investment, along with the city’s commitment to extend ferry service, offers a unique opportunity to reconnect the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island in a manner far more efficient, and far less expensive, than driving over the Verrazano Bridge.”

When finished, the New York Wheel will be the world’s largest observation wheel and the Empire Outlets will be the city’s first outlet mall. The $590 million projects are expected to be completed in the next 18 months and are estimated to bring in millions of dollars in local spending and create thousands of jobs for residents of all five boroughs.

Oddo notes in his letter that a Brooklyn-to-Staten-Island ferry route would also provide thousands of jobs opportunities to transit-starved areas like Red Hook.

The ferry will cost $2.75, which is significantly less expensive than the current $16 toll on the Verrazano Bridge. The plan would also reduce congestion on the Verrazano Bridge and the streets of Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Oddo recommends using the many underutilized parking facilities in Red Hook and at the Brooklyn Army Terminal as part of a park-and-ride system to St. George.

He tells Glen that the developers of the St. George projects are already in the process of finalizing an agreement with the New York City Economic Development Corporation to create a ferry dock and that they would pay for the capital expenditure and maintenance of the facility.

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