City Should Add A Ferry Stop In Flushing, Councilman Says

FLUSHING, QUEENS — City Council Member Paul Vallone is continuing to push the city to build a new ferry station in Flushing.

Vallone is urging the NYC Economic Development Corporation to expand the city's burgeoning ferry service to Northeast Queens by adding a new stop at the World's Fair Marina in Flushing.

Northeast Queens is considered a transportation desert, meaning it is relatively inaccessible by public transit. Commuter ferry service would add a viable transportation option to the region, according to Vallone.

Ferry service to the World's Fair Marina "is likely to have a similar or slower journey time than existing transit options," according to the Economic Development Corp.'s own ferry feasibility study.

The World's Fair Marina is under renovation to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy and its deteriorating piers. The reconstruction, expected to be complete by 2022, was designed to accommodate a potential ferry landing.

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"A Northeast Queens ferry landing would provide a needed and affordable transit option to residents living in these neighborhoods," a spokeswoman for Vallone said in a statement.

The spokeswoman did not respond to emailed questions on how much this expansion would cost and how the new stop would be funded.

Vallone has previously asked the Economic Development Corp. and the mayor's office for a ferry stop at Bayside's Fort Totten, in addition to one at World's Fair Marina.

The city's ferry service is not without controversy. It is extremely costly, according to the Citizens Budget Commission, which found that the ferry transports fewer people each year than the subway system moves in one day.

The NYC Economic Development Corp. is responsible for building and renovating ferry stops and manages the contract with ferry company Hornblower to provide the city's ferry service.