Ferry - water transport development strategy

Growing interest in water transportation is fueling ferry services and waterborne development in several coastal cities across the United States.

Growing interest in water travel has been a catalyst for the development of San Francisco's Treasure Island. Photo: NEW YORK TIMES

The new Bremerton High-Speed Ferry Terminal in Bremerton, Washington, will take passengers to downtown Seattle in just 30 minutes, compared to an hour for the previous ferry service. Nearby is Marina Square, with 270 apartments, a waterfront park, restaurants and markets. A mixed-use development is also planned, including fully furnished studios and extended-stay suites for workers at Naval Station Kitsap, the area’s largest employer, four blocks away. Over the past seven years, the area has opened three dedicated fast-ferry lines to Seattle, which can carry between 120 and 350 people. This will carry more than a million passengers in 2023, up 37% from the previous year.

Carteret County, New Jersey, recently approved a $1 billion project that will include Carteret Stages, a 15-story film and television production studio, hotel, retail space, and restaurants, built on the former DuPont Chemical site that has been vacant for nearly 60 years. The site will also include a ferry terminal that will provide 20-minute service to Manhattan, connecting 21 piers and providing approximately 4.6 million ferry trips a year across six routes connecting downtown Manhattan with Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Carteret has no rail station, and local highways are often congested. A ferry, expected to open next year, will provide a much-needed alternative to New York City.

Ferry service is also at the heart of a new community on Treasure Island, a man-made island in San Francisco's Bay. It's a new residential area with commercial and retail space, parks, and 8,000 apartments taking shape, estimated to be just a 10-minute ferry ride into downtown. Last summer, the Washington State Ferry System reopened its main terminal in Seattle after a $467 million renovation to reconnect the city center with Puget Sound. The city is also aiming to build a zero-emission electric ferry fleet by 2050. Last year, a new ferry service in Lynn, Massachusetts, also did well when a developer bought an adjacent lot that had been vacant for 40 years and built the 331-unit Breakwater North Harbor complex. From there, it's just a two-minute ferry ride into downtown Boston.

It is evident that Americans are using waterways not only as part of their commute but also as part of their daily lives. Coastal city governments have been actively implementing strategies to cooperate with local communities and investors to use ferries as a missing transit link. At the same time, it creates opportunities for waterway development, addresses social challenges such as traffic congestion, economic and environmental challenges, connects communities, and meets housing and commercial development goals.

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