The Peninsula City will finally be getting a long-sought ferry service to New York City as officials in Bayonne have finalized a deal for land that will house a brand-new terminal.
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis officially signed the purchase and sale agreement to buy a parcel of land back from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The 2.3-acre plot site on the former Military Ocean Terminal and was secured for a purchase price of $4.4 million.
“I am very happy that we are one step closer to completing this real estate transaction, which will help us achieve our goal of ferry service for the people of Bayonne,” Mayor Davis said in statement.
About 1.6 acres of the purchased land will provide space for the ferry terminal and parking, while the remaining 0.7 acre will continue the Hudson Riverfront Walkway along the southern shore of the Hudson River. An adjoining private property owner, Lincoln Equities, is contributing an acre of additional land for the ferry project in return for building a UPS Facility.
The terminal itself will be located about halfway out on the former Military Ocean Terminal, approximately one mile east of the Bayonne mainland. Plans for the ferry terminal are in the final design phase, and approximately 130 parking spaces are expected to be built at the facility.
Plans for a ferry terminal and service in Bayonne have been the works since 2017, gaining speed during 2020. Bayonne even selected Seastreak to operate ferry service out of the proposed terminal at one point, but that contract has since expired.
Bayonne has, as a result, now issued a request for proposals/request for qualifications for constructing the ferry building and 1an operator at the terminal. The municipality’s goal is to select a ferry company by April of this year.
“I am very happy that we have the contract with Port Authority to buy this land, so that Bayonne will have our own terminal and control our own destiny,” Mayor Davis concluded, “This purchase will make it easier for us to achieve our goal of ferry service for our great community.”
A further timeline as to when work could begin on construction of the ferry facility or when the service could be up and running wasn’t announced.
