See The Rendering Of South Amboy Ferry Terminal For NYC Ferries

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ — The city of South Amboy (yes, they are the fourth-largest "city" in Middlesex County) released this rendering last week of how the ferry terminal would look, for the proposed South Amboy-to-Manhattan ferry route. South Amboy business administrator Glenn Skarzynski says a ferry from South Amboy to Lower Manhattan will "most definitely" start running sometime in the next two years.

Of course South Amboy has been talking about a proposed ferry in their town to NYC for years, going back to at least 2010; but funding has never fully come through. Carteret has been vying for a ferry to Manhattan as well, but has yet to obtain major funding.

2019 may be different for South Amboy. The project has secured a vital $10 million federal grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

"We have secured the major funding and this is going to happen," Skarzynski told Patch in late November. The city of South Amboy will pay the rest, about $1.5 million. There may be a need for supplemental funding beyond that, he said.

The city of South Amboy anticipates to break ground on the ferry terminal sometime in 2019, possibly not until the fall. The ferry terminal would be built at the Radford Ferry Overpass and it would stop at Wall Street and Midtown. The terminal will include docking for three ferry vessels and will have a link to the NJ Transit South Amboy train station.

"You should be able to come to our fair city and enjoy a lovely ride on the ferry to Manhattan somewhere in 2020," Skarzynski vowed to NJ 101.5.

The trip from South Amboy to Lower Manhattan is about 40 minutes by boat.

Prices have not been determined, but tickets would be about $40 round-trip for a day trip, he said; the ferry would of course also offer monthly passes.

There actually used to be a ferry to Manhattan from South Amboy: In the wake of Sept. 11, when train and bus service was dismantled throughout the region, the federal government approached South Amboy and ran to temporary ferry service from the town. That last for about 18 months and was then dismantled. The city of South Amboy has been eager ever since then to bring it back.

Related: Ferry From South Amboy To Manhattan Coming, South Amboy Says

Rendering provided to Patch by the city of South Amboy.