Carteret: We'll Run Ferry Service Ourselves If We Can't Secure Provider

CARTERET, NJ — The town of Carteret said this August they would even consider running daily ferry service to New York City themselves, if they cannot secure a ferry provider.

"We’ll either go with Seastreak, NY Waterway, someone else or ourselves" said Bob Makin, Carteret's community and economic development director.

This comes as Carteret announced Aug. 13 it is now seeking construction bids to build a four-story ferry terminal. The ferry terminal will be located on a seven-acre site at the former DuPont property, next to Carteret's existing Waterfront Park. Construction bids are due back by Sept. 30.

Careteret also has two ferry boats: The Theodore Roosevelt is docked at the Carteret town marina, and the second is currently under construction in New Orleans.

"The bid (for a ferry service provider) will go out as soon as the second boat is closer to completion," Makin said Aug. 22.

He cautioned it would be unlikely, however, that Carteret would run the service itself.

"I think it’ll either be NY Waterways or Seastreak," he said.

This August, Patch asked both Seastreak and NY Waterway if they've been in discussion with the town of Carteret to run ferry service from there, and neither company answered. NY Waterway started running daily ferry service from South Amboy to Lower Manhattan in 2023.

Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman said he hopes the ferry terminal will be completed by October 2027, but if Carteret can ink a deal with a ferry provider, service may start running sooner than that, before the terminal is built.

Reiman plans for a jitney bus to pick people up throughout Carteret and take them to the ferry, and even pick up riders at the Rahway and Woodbridge train stations and bring them to the ferry launch.

Carteret has been seeking to have daily ferry service to New York City for the past 15 years.

Last week: Carteret Seeks Bids To Construct Ferry Terminal; Now Has 2 Ferry Boats (Aug. 22)