Carteret Mayor Daniel J. Reiman said that the Borough of Carteret has taken major steps forward in constructing its long-planned ferry terminal with the completion of Phase 1 and the beginning of Phase 2 for the state-of-the-art transportation project.
Phase 1 included the installation of approximately 130 linear feet of steel sheet pile bulkhead along the Arthur Kill waterfront that will be home to the future ferry terminal landing. The $473,258 contract was awarded to Agate Construction of Clermont in June.
Work was completed in November of this year.
The next phase of the ferry terminal includes dredging the waterside of the bulkhead to achieve sufficient depths for the ferry slips and docking area.
At a cost of approximately $2.5 million, this work includes 19,500 cubic feet of dredging and is overseen by the state Department of Transportation Office of Maritime Resources.
The Borough received full funding for these phases of the project last year from the New Jersey DOT Transportation Capital Trust Fund.
“These are the first steps in what will be a spectacular transportation project on a constantly evolving waterfront,” Mayor Reiman said. “Eventually, there will be restaurants, bars, retail shops, a movie production studio, and office space that will help to transform our once entirely industrial waterfront into a work-eat-play destination.”
The Borough and NJDOT are currently finalizing bid documents for the next two phases, Mayor Reiman said, which is the construction of waterside improvements and upland site work.
Waterside improvements will include docking and slips. The site improvements will include a 700-space parking lot, is anticipated to break ground in 2023, and immediately will be followed by a 20-foot-wide elevated pedestrian boardwalk connecting the parking lot and the ferry loading area.