Welcome aboard!
The city’s Economic Development Corporation released renderings of the 15 landings it is constructing and upgrading for the citywide ferry service that’s scheduled to begin next summer.
The 35 feet by 90 feet docks will include a curved white roof that will accommodate the millions of expected users in western Queens, the Rockaways, south Brooklyn.
“We’re making significant progress with them and moving along well,” EDC president Maria Torres-Springer said of the landings.
Ten of the landings will be new to the city and along with the five upgraded stations will make up water routes between Manhattan and outer borough neighborhoods such as Rockaway, Red Hook, Bay Ridge, Astoria, and Long Island City.
Torres-Springer said EDC is working with leaders in those neighborhoods to find the best coastal locations for the landings, but said they will be equipped to handle super storms and other climate changes.
In addition to the landings, Torres Springer gave updates on the construction of the program’s boats. Two companies, Skanska and McLaren, are working on 10 ferries at May Ship Repair in Staten Island and the construction is on schedule.
Although some features and amenities are still being worked out, Torres-Springer said the boats can fit a minimum of 149 passengers and have state of the engines that are fuel efficient.
“We made sure these are the greenest boats we can use,” she said.
The service is set to begin summer 2017 and expand to the Bronx and the Lower East side the year after. Rides will cost $2.75.
City Councilman Donovan Richards, who represents the Rockaways, said he was pleased with the design of the landings and hopes the city meets its timeline
“We need the landings to be as appealing as possible so we can get more people using it,” he said.
