JERSEY CITY, NJ — New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials announce the start of work on a project to improve the Liberty State Park (LSP) Ferry Terminal Facility located in Jersey City, Hudson County.
Removal of the existing inoperable ferry landing infrastructure adjacent to the historic rail terminal recently began. Once the structure is removed, it will be towed by barge offshore to become an artificial reef through NJDEP's Artificial Reef Program. Construction will continue intermittently on site until the end of 2026.
The $22 million Liberty State Park Ferry and Emergency Evacuation and Terminal Facility Project will construct a new ferry landing in the same location as the existing, now sunken, ferry landing. The new landing will include a 200-foot-long by 25-foot-wide fixed pier, a 200-foot-long by 40-foot-wide floating steel barge, a timber fender system, and a canopy above the fixed pier that mirrors the historic details of the adjacent historic rail terminal. This route sees approximately 4 million visitors to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island annually, a number LSP and the National Park Service hopes to grow.
The new facility is designed to dock multiple rescue and transport vessels simultaneously and perform in a safe, consistent, and reliable manner. In addition, it will be able to handle an all-boats call from the Captain of the port, allowing agencies — including United States Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police, and a host of other law enforcement agencies — to conduct both mass and controlled evacuations, which only LSP has the space and infrastructure to accommodate.
This project and ongoing water transportation infrastructure planning and restoration at Liberty State Park is being conducted in partnership between the New Jersey Department of Transportation Office of Maritime Resources (NJDOT/OMR), the National Parks Service, and Liberty State Park.
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NJDOT/OMR staff has a 20-year service record of coordination among the Harbor Safety, Navigation, and Operations Committee, maritime partners, the United States Coast Guard, and law enforcement agencies in both New York and New Jersey to maintain access to and from Ellis and Liberty Islands.
