South Amboy To Receive $5.3 Million For Ferry To New York City

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ — The long-talked about ferry service to New York City from South Amboy just got one step closer to reality this week.

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) announced Monday that South Amboy will receive $5.3 million to build a passenger ferry terminal on the Raritan Bay. South Amboy will use the funding to construct a ferry terminal building that could accommodate up to three ferry boats.

This would be daily ferry service between South Amboy and downtown Manhattan. The trip from South Amboy to Lower Manhattan is about 40 minutes by boat. However, it is important to remember this may be quite a ways off: No opening date has been set for when ferry service would begin or for even when construction on the ferry terminal will begin.

"At this moment we do not have a hard and fast date, but plan to be out to bid before the end of the year, most likely by mid fall," said South Amboy business administrator Glenn Skarzynski. "We are awaiting one final approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before we can move forward. Once we begin construction it is expected we will have operational service within one year and full build-out six months later."

South Amboy already has an NJ Transit train station in town, along the North Jersey Coast Line, so this would make South Amboy unique, as it would have both a train station and ferry service within steps of each other. The ferry terminal will be built at 1 Radford Ferry Road, located next to the Manhattan Beach Club, a currently under-construction 1,875-unit luxury apartment complex.

Skarzynski said South Amboy wants to "move aggressively" to complete the ferry terminal once it gets all final approvals from the Army Corps.

The town of South Amboy is also planning a destination restaurant/banquet facility for the second floor of the terminal, with outdoor seating overlooking Raritan Bay.

South Amboy has been trying for years to get ferry service to Manhattan, going back to at least 2010; but funding has never fully come through. Carteret has also been vying for a ferry to Manhattan as well, but has yet to obtain major funding.

In 2018, as Patch reported, South Amboy secured its first $10 million federal grant for the ferry.

This latest grant given Monday was distributed through the Department of Transportation’s Passenger Ferry Grant program, which provides funding for passenger ferry systems in urbanized areas. Pallone, a Democrat, asked the Federal Transit Administration for the funding in March.

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.

“This is great news for New Jersey and for commuters who rely on passenger ferries every day. This funding will go a long way to ensure that our transportation infrastructure is able to accommodate the increased demand in ferry service and will help reduce vehicle traffic between New Jersey and Manhattan,” Congressman Pallone said. “The new facility will undoubtedly foster economic growth in South Amboy and the surrounding area. I will continue to make sure that New Jersey receives the resources it needs for safe and efficient transportation.”

“I would like to thank Congressman Pallone, always a friend to South Amboy, for his support and commitment in partnering with South Amboy and Middlesex County and in helping to make this important transportation project a reality,” South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry said this week.

Patch's ongoing reporting on a South Amboy ferry to New York City:

See The Rendering Of South Amboy Ferry Terminal For NYC Ferries (Dec. 2018)

Ferry From South Amboy To Manhattan Coming, South Amboy Says (Nov. 2018)

Carteret Trying To Launch Ferry Service To Manhattan (April 2018)

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