By Chris Rotolo
MIDDLETOWN – A windfall of federal grant funding will allow Monmouth County to make substantial critical infrastructure upgrades to the Belford Ferry Terminal.
With a $4 million award from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program, the county can fund repairs to a multitude of foundational elements, like the in-water floating docks, barges and gangways used to board and unload passengers. Upgrades will also be made to ramps and sidewalks to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance standards. The grant money will also fund new features at the site, including the installation of electric vehicle charging stations for up to 50 vehicles.
“Any upgrades they can make would be welcomed,” said Ben Sullivan, a Hazlet resident who has taken weekly round-trip voyages from Belford to Manhattan since the terminal’s inception two decades ago. “Hopping on the ferry is simpler than driving into the city for work. Even if they didn’t make any improvements, I’d still be using it. But seeing our tax dollars invested back into a service like this is a good thing.”
The Belford Ferry Terminal provides service to approximately 1,300 passengers per day, transporting riders to and from New York City.
The terminal was managed by NY Waterway until Dec. 5, 2022, when the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners awarded control of the port to Seastreak. The organization’s management of the Belford terminal is in addition to its previously established passenger ports in the neighboring boroughs of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands.
Seastreak is now the sole service provider in the county’s Sandy Hook Bayshore region, and offers 22 daily trips from Monmouth County to New York City, including six morning departures from the Belford terminal. Seastreak’s management of the Belford terminal came with increased fares, as passengers who had normally purchased round-trip passes for $21.50 from NY Waterway observed a price hike to $28.
“It’s a little more per ride, but that ‘little more’ adds up,” Sullivan said. “It’s just nice to see, if the cost is going up, that investments are being made to make things the best they can be.”
When NY Waterway relinquished control of the Belford terminal, Monmouth County initially lost direct ferry commuter access to Hoboken and Jersey City, after Seastreak revealed it would discontinue those routes. On Jan. 23, the company restarted service to Jersey City.
Oversight of the Bayshore’s three ferry terminals has enabled Seastreak to implement a new shuttle service, which offers free passenger transport from terminal to terminal. The shuttle service affords round-trip riders more scheduling flexibility, allowing passengers to return to any of the three terminals without losing access to the parking lot from which they departed.
According to Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, the $4 million award for infrastructure repairs and upgrades is part of a match grant program, which requires Monmouth County to include an additional $1 million in project funding.
“The intent of the work is to maintain a state of good repair to ferry terminal infrastructure, which has been in service since 2002 when the Belford ferry service first began,” Arnone told The Two River Times Jan. 24. “This project will help modernize the ferry terminal marine infrastructure and improve efficiency, reliability, and safety for our ferry passengers.”
He expressed his gratitude to U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) for helping the county acquire the grant.
“This funding will help improve efficient and reliable transportation options in Monmouth County, help reduce vehicle traffic, and ensure that the ferry remains a reliable form of transportation,” Pallone said in a media release.
NY Waterway is expected to return to the Bayshore in the first quarter of 2023, but outside of Monmouth County. The organization announced plans to develop a Raritan Bay terminal in nearby South Amboy, which would provide service to New York City and could also include routes to Hoboken and Jersey City.
The article originally appeared in the January 26 – February 1, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
