A NYC Ferry route from Soundview to Manhattan sometime next year is moving forward, as plans for the route and a required dock at Clason Point have been submitted by the city.
Plans were submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers earlier this month by the NYC Economic Development Corporation.
The application lists a total of six stops to be added. The others include three in Manhattan and two in Brooklyn.
The route of the Soundview ferry has been altered since it was announced last year.
While it will still stop at East 90th Street and Wall Street Pier 11 as originally announced, another stop has been added at 34th Street after feedback from residents.
That stop will allow Bronx residents to switch to another ferry headed directly to Queens and Brooklyn, saving commuters headed to those boroughs considerable time by bypassing lower Manhattan.
The addition was proposed by Manhattan Councilman Daniel Garodnich earlier this month.
A free shuttle bus operated by NYC Ferry also departs from the 34th Street docks to midtown, according to the official website, www.ferry.nyc.
“I’m looking forward to the expansion of NYC Ferry service into my district, which will offer my constituents a quick, affordable and scenic travel alternative to locations across the city,” said Senator Jeff Klein, who represents Soundview. “Once the Soundview route launches next year, residents of the south Bronx can travel to Wall Street in just 43 minutes for the same price as a single subway ride.”
Calls to Councilwoman Annabel Palma for comment on the impact of the ferry service on her district were not returned by press time.
Adding the Soundview route will require the construction of a new 20-foot wide, 57-foot long fixed concrete pier and a 10’ by 80’ long gangway leading to a 20’ by 28’ foot wide fixed platform.
A second 80-foot long gangway connected to the platform will allow up to three ferry vessels to dock at a time.
Altogether, the dock structure will extend 291 feet into the waterway when the ferries are attached.
NYC Ferry launched earlier this year to much fanfare, adding a new way for people to travel across the city, but Bronx residents have been left out in the cold as the other four boroughs already have ferries up and running.
The 86-foot-long blue and white ferries carry 149 people, and have space for bicycles for an additional $1 fee.
They also feature high-tech concession stands and will soon have free Wi-Fi.
One-way tickets are selling for $2.75
Tickets are purchased at docking sites, while 30-day passes sell for $121, or $141 with a bicycle.
Councilman James Vacca has called for another NYC Ferry route to be added from Throggs Neck, where there is no nearby subway line to the other boroughs.
