Astoria Ferry Route To Be Extended To Upper East Side

ASTORIA, QUEENS — The NYC Ferry will start running between Astoria and Manhattan's Upper East Side as of Saturday.

The ride between the Astoria ferry landing and the East 90th Street landing in Manhattan will take four minutes, according to the NYC Ferry's updated schedule for the Astoria line.

The route extension comes at no additional cost and will not change travel times to and from Astoria, the NYC Economic Development Corporation said in a news release.

“Establishing additional connections and cutting travel time between neighborhoods and job centers is what NYC Ferry is all about,” James Patchett, president and CEO of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, said in a statement. "We are proud to extend the Astoria route to serve Upper Manhattan. By building a more connected city, we are creating greater access to jobs, open space, and cultural institutions for New Yorkers.”

For two years, the Old Astoria Neighborhood Association spearheaded a campaign calling for ferry service between Astoria and the Upper East Side.

Its accompanying petition drew more than 1,400 signatures.

Richard Khuzami, the association's president, argued that the ferry connection would "create a positive economic effect to both areas."

"Both areas would receive great business, tourism, culture, job, and residential benefits," Khuzami wrote in a statement on May 1, 2019. "The Upper East Side is an established 'destination' for New Yorkers, and Astoria is an up and coming neighborhood."