The Borough of Carteret has reached a major milestone in its decades-long effort to bring ferry service to the region, announcing it has gone out to bid for the construction of the new 52,000-square-foot, four-level Carteret Intermodal Ferry Terminal Center. Mayor Daniel Reiman recently shared that a contract for the two-year construction project is expected to be awarded in October, with a groundbreaking planned for November.
The terminal, a project over 15 years in the making, has secured long-awaited federal and state funding and construction approvals. Reiman highlighted the building’s unique features, comparing its scale and multi-purpose design to iconic transportation hubs.
“You’re talking about something that is unmatched for the tristate area in terms of a multi-purpose terminal building,” Reiman said. “Think Grand Central Station in NYC or Union Station in DC.”
The four-level building, designed by Tom Potter of Potter Architects, will offer a wide range of amenities. The first floor will house a bar, lounge, restaurant, restrooms, and a ticketing area, along with a grab-and-go retail store. The second floor is designated for leasable office space. A restaurant, banquet hall, and training center will occupy the third floor, while the rooftop will feature a terrace, a covered bar and grill, an outdoor stage for live music, and rooms for meetings and special events, all with panoramic views of the Raritan Bay and the New York City skyline.
To fund this project, the Reiman Administration has secured over $90 million in federal and state grants. This includes $12 million from two congressional appropriations, $6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, $6 million from the Federal Transit Authority, and more than $12 million from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
The borough has already completed or is in the process of completing several other key components of the ferry service. This includes the installation of a steel sheet pile bulkhead, extensive dredging to accommodate ferry slips, and a 700-space parking lot. The borough has also acquired two ferry boats; one, christened the Theodore Roosevelt, is currently docked at the Carteret Municipal Marina, while the second is under construction in New Orleans.
Initial projections for the ferry service include two to three stops in Manhattan, with four trips a day each way. Service may begin sooner than the terminal’s expected opening date of October 2027 through a temporary kiosk on the dock. The terminal’s intermodal design will allow passengers to connect with NJ TRANSIT buses, municipal jitneys, and NJ Rideshare, providing multiple ways for commuters and travelers to access the waterfront.
The ferry service is expected to provide numerous benefits, including reducing congestion on the New Jersey Turnpike and its feeders to the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, offering a more affordable and environmentally-friendly commute to New York City, and creating a redundant transportation option in case of emergencies.
The project is part of a larger vision to transform Carteret’s once-industrial waterfront into a regional destination. The area now features a fishing pier, a public park, a mini-golf course, a marina, and a forthcoming Riverwalk and Pier Pavilion. The seven-acre terminal site, formerly a Dupont property, is adjacent to a larger plot where the borough plans to develop a movie studio and a hotel.
“Like so many of these projects that we plan in Carteret, these are game changers,” Reiman said. “They create jobs, they put people to work and bring significant economic benefits to the community. They continue to change and improve the community for the future.”
