South Amboy Just Got $800K For Proposed Ferry Terminal

PISCATAWAY, NJ — On Wednesday of this week, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ6) announced he secured $16 million in funding for thirteen projects he submitted to the Appropriations Committee.

And one of those projects was $800,000 for South Amboy's long-awaited ferry terminal building.

However, this specific $800,000 will not go towards actual construction of the ferry building: It will be used for environmental remediation, the construction of waterfront bulkheads, a seawall, access roadways, curbing, sidewalks, parking, a pavilion, site lighting as well as water, sewer, gas and electric infrastructure, said Pallone.

The proposed ferry terminal will cost millions.

NY Waterway launched its South Amboy-direct-to-NYC ferry service last October, but the ferries operate without a terminal building. Currently, customers walk down a dirt path to get the ferry, and they buy tickets from a mobile trailer. There are also no bathrooms on site; customers have to use a Porta-John.

On the first day of service, which Patch was there to photograph and record, at least one customer complained that he couldn't imagine walking down the muddy, dirty path in a business suit or dress shoes.

First Day Of South Amboy-NYC Ferry Service: Customers 'Love It' (Oct. 2023)

All thirteen project were approved for the funding in the federal spending bill for Fiscal Year 2024 that passed March 6 in the House of Representatives.

The projects will help rebuild and repair infrastructure, support low emissions public transit and lead pipe removal, and improve coastal resiliency, said Congressman Pallone, a Democrat.

The 13 projects are:

• $625,000 for Monmouth University to promote ecological resilience in the Raritan Bay
• $963,000 for the Piscataway Police Dept. to upgrade its police radio system and improve interoperability between the Township and other police agencies
• $959,752 for Aberdeen to replace deteriorating water mains
• $959,752 for Red Bank to remove and replace lead pipes
• $959,752 for Sayreville to replace the sanitary sewer pumping station
• $1,416,279 for Bradley Beach to improve Main Street and make the walkways more pedestrian friendly
• $1,600,000 for Edison to purchase five electric passenger vans
• $1,250,000 for Fair Haven to build a new community center to replace the current, deteriorating community center
• $1,000,000 for the Keansburg improve pedestrian access, reconstruct roadways, and enhance drainage in the Borough
• $800,000 for South Amboy to complete its multimodal transit hub for Central New Jersey residents who commute to New York City
• $850,000 for Long Branch to create a green space adjacent to the new Health and Technology Center
• $1,000,000 for Neptune to repair the Wesley Lake Pedestrian Bridge and improve pedestrian safety
• $4,000,000 for Woodbridge to construct a new footpath and repair dilapidated pedestrian footpaths along the Arthur Kill.