CARTERET – Plans to construct the Carteret Intermodal Transportation Building for the forthcoming ferry service to New York City got a boost with the borough securing a competitive $5.6 million grant for the project from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Rebuilding American Infrastructure With Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant will help with the construction of the 47,000-square-foot, three-story building on about 8.67 acres of waterfront property. The transportation center will include a passenger terminal and Port Authority office space. The project also will connect to a 20-foot-wide elevated pedestrian boardwalk, fixed pier, floating docks, wave screen, and handicap access ramp, according to the RAISE fact sheet.
“This is a highly competitive grant to which towns, counties and states from all over the country, can apply and compete,” Mayor Daniel J. Reiman said. “It’s an extremely difficult grant to obtain, so we are very grateful to President Biden and the U.S. Department of Transportation for investing infrastructure funds into this intermodal ferry terminal."
Carteret was the only New Jersey recipient for the RAISE grant this year. The grant recipient projects must improve safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, mobility and community connectivity, and economic competitiveness and opportunity, including tourism, partnership, collaboration and innovation.
More funding is still expected for the project. No date has been set for construction of the transportation building to begin.
Reiman said the program would not be possible without the implementation of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill championed by Congressional leaders like Frank Pallone. When President Joe Biden signed the bill, he said it was "an investment that's going to connect entire towns and regions to new opportunities."
“This is an extremely important project because it will help reduce congestion going to and from New York City and provide thousands of people in the region a more convenient way to commute,” Pallone said. “This new facility will bolster economic opportunities in Carteret and the surrounding area, acting as a vital hub for economic activity for the city. And it will be held up as a model for other communities looking to offer cleaner and better-connected modes of transportation for their municipalities.”
Pallone previously secured $6 million in federal funding for the Carteret Ferry Terminal in the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations bill and an additional $6 million awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program to purchase a ferry vessel.
“In communities across the country, there is a tremendous need for transportation projects that create high-quality jobs, improve safety, protect our environment, and generate equitable economic opportunity for all Americans," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. " With RAISE grants, we are making those needed investments in our communities’ future.”
The Reiman administration has been working to increase Carteret’s economic competitiveness, and to create the opportunity for growth through new residential and commercial development, such as the newly constructed Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center, upgraded parks, and stable tax rates. Creating ferry travel opportunities also is a critical component to opening waterfront areas and increasing access to work and recreation activities.
The Carteret Intermodal Transportation Building will provide access to several forms of alternative transportation. In addition to a ferry service to New York City, there will be a borough jitney service, NJ Transit bus service, and bicycling and walking.
The building also will include an educational center that will act as a training hub for ferry staff, and public amenities, such as a grab-and-go automated grocery store, quick service grille, casual dining restaurant and roof top that offers views of the NYC skyline.
The borough recently awarded contracts for the next phases of both in-water and uplands construction of the forthcoming ferry terminal. The bulkhead for the ferry terminal was completed in October 2022. New Jersey Department of Transportation Office of Maritime Resources completed the dredging in January 2023.
“This is truly an exciting time for Carteret,” Reiman said. “After years of studies and permitting through what seems like the endless bureaucracy of government agencies, we will soon reinstate ferry service which will safely and efficiently deliver commuters from Carteret and the surrounding area every day to New York City.”
For the ferry project, the mayor's administration has secured more than $70 million in federal and state grants, including several other competitive funds.
The planned intermodal transportation building is part of a larger multi-year, $1.5 billion redevelopment plan to transform the borough’s waterfront into a regional transportation, economic and recreational hub and destination. In addition to Waterfront Park, Veteran’s Pier, and Carteret Municipal Marina, which have already been completed, the waterfront redevelopment plans include the private construction of a 500,000-square-foot film production studio, and 150,000 square feet of ancillary retail and hotel space on private property adjacent to the ferry terminal.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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