Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday that the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center barge in Hunts Point—which previously housed overflow population from Rikers Island jails—will be removed, and the area transformed into a marine terminal connecting to the recently-announced “blue highway” system on the South Bronx waterfront.
At a press conference in front of the barge, Adams said the revamped terminal would reduce truck traffic around the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center by up to 9,000 trips per month, thereby improving health conditions such as asthma for local residents.
The project reflects “a whole new concept for how we move goods around the city,” said Andrew Kimball, president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
Adolfo Carrión Jr., Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce and former Bronx Borough President, joined Adams and Kimball for the announcement and said the barge will soon be gone for good, and planning for the terminal has already begun.
The project represents a vision for “empowering and investing in the people of Hunts Point and the Bronx,” said Carrión Jr.
In addition to the environmental and public health benefits, the project is expected to generate nearly $4 billion in total economic impact over 30 years, including 100 permanent jobs and 400 construction jobs.
At the new terminal, “We’ll unload cargo from all across the world for delivery throughout New York City, put even more New Yorkers to work in vibrant industries, and continue to show that cities can do bold, ambitious things,” said Adams.
Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., who represents Hunts Point, called the project an “economic game-changer.”
He said the barge has been a scourge on the Bronx waterfront since it was first used as a jail in the early 1990s. Previous administrations promised to decommission and remove it but never got it done, Salamanca Jr. said.
He explained that Monday’s announcement fulfills Adams’ personal promise to Salamanca Jr., having vowed during his mayoral campaign to get rid of the barge and replace it with a project to benefit the borough.
Though it took much longer than expected, the news was welcomed after years of “empty promises,” said Salamanca Jr.
To support the terminal and local residents, the EDC also announced it awarded $1.4 million to create an Economic Mobility Network in Hunts Point. The Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation (GHPEDC) will partner with community groups such as The Point CDC, Rocking the Boat and the Bronx River Alliance to connect Bronxites with good-paying jobs at the Food Distribution Center and in the green economy.
Gibson called the project “a bold, progressive step forward” that will likely help bring down the Bronx unemployment rate, which was 6.1% in April 2025 compared to 4.6% citywide, state data shows.
Activists calling for the closure of all Rikers Island jails praised the removal of the barge, while pressuring Adams to close the rest of Rikers as soon as possible.
“Like Rikers, the Boat has facilitated mass incarceration and dehumanization. Today’s announcement is a victory for all of our members who have suffered its harms, and raised their voices to call for its closure,” said Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda, said in a statement.
Mack said that conditions at Rikers have worsened and the mayor seems to be stalling on the closure plans, but said, “It is still not too late for Eric Adams to make good on his previous promises.”
The NYC EDC will now issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking a company to handle “responsible disposal” of the barge. Kimball said he expects it to be removed within 60-90 days.
Design work has already begun and is expected to be completed by 2020 or 2031, around the same time as the $3.7 billion proposed Brooklyn Marine Terminal, which stretches from Pier 7 at Atlantic Ave. to Pier 12 in Red Hook.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
