De Blasio Releases New Renderings Of Proposed Citywide Ferry System
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York Economic Development Corporation have released new renderings of the planned ferry system coming to the five boroughs..
The new system will provide service at 21 landings across six different routes and will integrate existing service from the East River Ferry system, according to the de Blasio administration. The Citywide Ferry service is expected to accommodate around 4.6 million passengers.
Routes in Astoria, South Brooklyn and Far Rockaway are expected to launch in 2017, with additional routes in Soundview and the Lower East Side expected to launch in 2018. Routes from Coney Island and Stapleton, in Staten Island, are also under consideration.
The fee will cost the same as a standard MetroCard swipe, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.
The fleet will be operated by New York City-based Hornblower, Inc. — a private company with locations in Midtown and nearby South Street Seaport. Hornblower will be providing 19 new Wi-fi equipped ships to make up the new Citywide fleet. The ships will be able to accommodate around 149 people per trip.
"We really see that as a way, both supporting equality across all boroughs, but more importantly one of the best ways to get vehicles off the road," Cameron Clark, of Hornblower, said.
The city plans to invest around $55 million for construction and upgrades for ferry landing sites, as well as an additional $30 million per year in operating cost funding through the first six years of the project. According to the de Blasio administration, the new ferry system will also provide at least 155 new jobs.
The ferry system will be the first of its kind for New York City.
