New Ferry Terminal for Battery Park City

NEW TERMINAL: A new ferry terminal at Battery Park opened on Wednesday. The design was the recipient of the '2008 Public Works Project of the Year' by New York Construction Magazine. Transportation Authority

NEW YORK—It was the day after St. Patty’s Day—what some might call “Hangover Day”—when bleary-eyed commuters received a well timed gift. At 6 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18, Transportation Authority big boys cut the ribbon on a brand new, state-of-the-art ferry terminal in Battery Park City.

With a whopping $50 million price tag, the new terminal will replace the existing terminal at Battery Park City, which first opened in 1990. The Port Authority will own the terminal, and Billy Bey Ferry Company will operate and maintain it.

Among the goodies featured in the new terminal are:

♦—Five ferry slips that will accept both side and bow-loading vessels

♦—A larger 22,000-square-foot passenger waiting area to reduce passenger crowding

♦—Improved amenities, such as gangway separations for arriving and departing passengers, restrooms, concession kiosk, additional seating, and improved lighting

The new terminal is part of an effort by the T.A. to expand trans-Hudson commuter service and to encourage more overall commuting via ferry. It was the recipient of the “2008 Public Works Project of the Year” by New York Construction Magazine.

Currently, the terminal handles a roughly 6,100 weekday passenger trips. The new terminal is expected to handle increased traffic from the completed Goldman Sachs building in Battery Park City and the World Trade Center site.