Two Additional NYC Ferry Routes to Set Sail This Summer

Construction on a new ferry landing in the Lower East Side that will accommodate two new routes is underway.

New York City officials announced Wednesday that the dock is one of four NYC Ferry landings for two new routes scheduled to start operating this summer. The routes will shorten the commutes for New Yorkers traveling to and from Queens, the South Bronx and the Lower East Side.

“Neighborhoods like the Lower East Side haven’t had the transit options they deserve. We can’t wait to launch two new ferry lines that will help New Yorkers get to work and to school, and to connect with their city,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.

Four docks are being constructed at Corlears Hook, East 90th Street, and Stuyvesant Cove on the East River and at Clason Point Park in the Soundview Section of the Bronx.

The Lower East Side Route will serve nearly one million riders annually traveling to and from Manhattan’s Wall Street/Pier 11, Corlears Hook, Stuyvesant Cove, East 34th Street; and Long Island City, in Queens.

The route is expected to substantially travel times for more reduce than 8,000 families living in four NYCHA developments, the Baruch, Jacob Riis, La Guardia and Vladeck Houses.

The Soundview Route, also launching this summer, will serve an estimated 400,000 riders traveling to and from the Soundview area of The Bronx, East 90th Street, East 34th Street and Wall Street/Pier 11 in Manhattan each year.

“It’s been less than a year since the first NYC Ferry boat carried its passengers from the Rockaways, and already this has become an established part of our city’s transit,” Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen said in a statement, adding that the new routes will bring “more transit service to neighborhoods that need it.”

James Patchett, the president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, said that new ferries will expand an already successful ferry network, while “opening up opportunities and connecting residents to neighborhoods throughout the city.”

Last year, NYC Ferry’s inaugural year, the system launched four routes — the Rockaway, Astoria and South Brooklyn and East River routes — and served nearly three million riders, surpassing projections by 34 percent or nearly 800,000 riders. With the Lower East Side and Soundview routes, the system will have a total of six routes.

In response to high demand, NYC Ferry is adding six higher-capacity boats to its fleet, with the first three of these vessels expected to operate this summer. Officials aim to have a total of 20 vessels at 21 landings across the city by the end of this summer.

A NYC Ferry ride is $2.75, the same as a subway ride, and includes free transfers to other ferry routes.