The Staten Island Ferry. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.
On December 1, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city has received over $10 million from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration to support ferry services to Staten Island and Governor’s Island. The funding includes a $7.5 million grant to install shoreside rapid charging infrastructure for the new hybrid-electric Governors Island Ferry and $3 million to rehabilitate the City’s Department of Transportation offsite storage facility that supports the Staten Island Ferry.
The hybrid ferries for Governors Island were announced earlier this past March and will be the first vessels of its kind to serve as public transportation in New York Harbor. The new ferries are scheduled to begin service next summer. The new ferry’s hybrid propulsion system reduces air pollution and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 800 tons annually. The ferries will have the option of operating on zero emissions, battery-only or battery assisted with diesel backup. The charging infrastructure will be located at Soissons Ferry Landing on Governors Island and is expected to begin construction in 2025.
The Staten Island Ferry support grant will allow the Department of Transportation to rehabilitate an off-site storage facility, “Building 45,” which helps support the 24/7 operation of the Staten Island Ferry.
Both grants were secured through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Support in securing the grants came from U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler, Dan Goldman and Nicole Malliotakis, and other local elected officials.
Mayor Adams stated, “New York City’s waterways are key arteries for our city — and the $10 million federal investment we have delivered for our ferry systems today will strengthen this smart, enjoyable way to enjoy the ride from point A to point B. With another major win for the Staten Island Ferry, our administration is helping Staten Islanders get to work in the morning and home to their families in the evening. At the same time, we are putting innovative technology to work — reinforcing Governors Island as a nation-leading center of climate innovation and welcoming this first-of-its-kind public, electric vessel to provide cleaner air in New York Harbor. We are grateful to the Federal Transit Administration and to our federal, state, and city partners who joined us in advocating for this investment in New York City.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)