The Hunters Point South landing site, as seen late September. The barge was removed for repair work early in the month. (Photo: Nathaly Pesantez)
Oct. 18, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez (Updated)
Update 10/30, 9:05 a.m. – The Hunters Point South landing reopened for service today. The East River route has resumed normal service stopping at Hunters Point South in both directions.
The Hunters Point South landing, which has been closed off for repairs since August, is expected to re-open at the end the month.
The city’s Economic Development Corporation, which oversees the NYC Ferry system, said it is working to reopen the landing the week of Oct. 29.
The landing has been out of service since August for a series of significant repairs.
The problems began in early August when a safety inspector determined that the gangway was in need of repair. The landing, which closed for 12 days while the gangway was revamped, reopened on Aug. 14 only to close two days later after an issue that came up with the barge. It has been closed since.
The barge being removed. (Photo: Arnaldo Vidal)
The barge required reballasting and other structural repairs that appear to have been caused by a tidal shift, the gangway replacement, and extremely low tide conditions. The barge, according to the EDC, had stuck onto the landing’s piles.
The barge was even removed early September to be worked on off-site. It was being re-skinned, re-zinced, and re-coated and painted.
While the landing has been out, East River service has been rerouted to the nearby Long Island City landing at Gantry Plaza State Park. A free shuttle bus has also been in place since early September between the two landings, operating about every 20 minutes.
The Hunters Point South landing is one of the oldest in the ferry system, with the EDC working toward replacing the landing entirely within a few years.
