Brannan, Hanks push for Bay Ridge – SI ferry

December 2, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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BAY RIDGE – COUNCILMEMBERS JUSTIN BRANNAN and Kamilah Hanks are renewing a push for a ferry route between Bay Ridge and Staten Island’s St. George neighborhood, reports SI Live. The two sent a letter in November urging the mayor to take action and establish the route, which has been discussed since a wider expansion of the NYC Ferry system in 2021, as well as a letter earlier this year that went unanswered, according to the councilmembers. This most recent letter highlights that a new Brooklyn-Staten Island ferry could connect Staten Islanders to the future Interborough Express commuter train, which is set to have its terminus in Bay Ridge and run through southern and eastern Brooklyn to Queens.

However, the city’s Economic Development Corporation said in 2022 that further route additions were paused due to budget difficulties, and in a response to Brannan and Hanks’ letter reiterated that the NYC Ferry system is not currently considering “new connections,” instead focusing on upgrading its existing fleet.

The proposed ferry connection would revive a route between Brooklyn and Staten Island that was closed shortly following the construction of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, which turned 60 last month.

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