Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis says the long talked about commuter ferry to Manhattan is finally moving forward, with a request for proposals for ferry operators set to be released soon.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“With the development of MOTBY finally moving forward after decades of inaction and broken promises, Bayonne is truly on the brink of a total revitalization that will secure our city’s future for the next 100 years — but the missing piece has always been commuter ferry service,” Davis said in a statement.
“This is a true game changer for Bayonne that will help us continue with the development of MOTBY and it will give our residents another option to commute into Manhattan.â€
The Peninsula City mayor further explained that the city received a term sheet from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, opening formal negotiations to have a ferry terminal at the former Military Ocean Terminal.
Furthermore, the city will soon be releasing a RFP that will allow ferry operators a chance to bid on the right to build and operate the commuter terminal. RFPs are expected to be released in April and submissions will be due later this Spring, the mayor’s office said.
Davis first made mention of some news coming on the ferry terminal during an appearance on Hudson County Review Live on February 9th.
“We’ve been negotiating with the Port Authority for the better part of two-and-a-half years and we’ve pretty much finished the negotiations and now we’re just waiting to hear from them,” Davis said at the time.
“So everything they’ve needed from the city, we have provided to them .. We should know, relatively … within the next week or two.”
The city has been publicly discussing making the ferry terminal a reality since at least June 2016, with the mayor’s office and Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti (D-31) both expressing serious interest in the project.
The Port Authority could not be immediately reached for comment.
