At the ceremony, Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said it was “a great day for Bayonne.” He predicted that the ferry would be part of “a shinier future” for the community. Chairman O’Toole said that Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis wanted to have a locally owned terminal that would provide “real transportation to New York and back.” The Port Authority leader said that the ferry “will transform this region and Bayonne.”
Armand Pohan, President and CEO of New York Waterway, said, “We are excited to be partnering with the City of Bayonne to bring safe, reliable and convenient ferry service to commuters and families of this great city.” Mr Pohan . continued, “Bayonne is growing in impressive ways. Adding ferry service will not only provide a better quality of life for those who live here now, but it will also be a great incentive for anyone thinking about making Bayonne their home. We look forward to serving the Bayonne community for many years to come.”
Mayor Davis predicted that ferry service would “change the economic future of Bayonne.” He thanked New York Waterway for its partnership with Bayonne. He predicted that “ridership will explode.” Mayor Davis said that the City of Bayonne worked “side by side” with the Port Authority.” He thanked Port Authority Chairman O’Toole. The mayor said that working with the Port Authority was “always about the people of Bayonne.”
Following the speeches, representatives of the City of Bayonne, the Port Authority, and New York Waterway broke ground next to the southern shore of the former Military Ocean Terminal.
In order to have a location for the ferry, the City of Bayonne is obtaining 2.3 acres of land from the Port Authority for $4.4 million. Of those 2.3 acres, 1.6 acres will be used for the ferry terminal and a parking facility, and 0.7 acres will be used for expanding the local waterfront walkway. Lincoln Equities, a neighbouring private property owner, is donating an additional acre of land for the facility.
