Ferry Service An Alternative To GWB Traffic

If you call 511 and ask for information on Fort Lee, an automated message will tell you that the next stage of the New York State Department of Transportation’s Alexander Hamilton Bridge project begins Saturday night.

The project, which is expected to pose a for people who use the George Washington Bridge to get to New York because of a reduction of a portion of the Cross Bronx Expressway down to just one lane where it approaches the Major Deegan Expressway coming from the bridge’s lower level, could last until October.

The lane closure will be in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and could snarl traffic on New Jersey roadways approaching the GWB.

As motorists are being advised to take mass transit—or consider an alternate route or travel during off-peak hours—NY Waterway reminded commuters Friday that its ferry service is “an alternative” to “escape” the mess, enabling people to “get to Manhattan in minutes.”

Ferry service to the West 39th Street Ferry Terminal in New York City is available from the Edgewater Ferry Landing at Route 5 and River Road in Edgewater and from Port Imperial in Weehawken, and free NY Waterway buses run several routes from the terminal into the city.

In Edgewater service is only available on weekdays during morning and evening rush hours, but NY Waterways reminds customers that the trip to West 39th only takes 13 minutes.

Service from Port Imperial is available seven days a week, with ferries leaving every 10 to 20 minutes from 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and until 1 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The trip to NYC takes just eight minutes, and “low-cost” parking is available at Port Imperial, according to NY Waterway.

Service from Port Imperial to lower Manhattan is also available weekdays during morning and evening rush hours.

But while NY Waterway’s service may indeed be a “hassle-free alternative” to the anticipated traffic on the GWB, as the company touts it, that service will cost you.

The one-way adult fare from Port Imperial to Midtown is $9. A 10-trip pass will run you $76, and a monthly pass costs $272, with discounts available for students, seniors and children.

At the Edgewater Ferry Landing the regular fare is $10.25, the 10-trip pass is $84.25 and monthly passes are $293.75.

More information is available on NY Waterway’s website or Facebook page or by calling 1-800-53-Ferry (1-800-533-3779).

For the latest information on the traffic situation, call 511, visit 511nj.org or register for George Washington Bridge alerts from the Port Authority by clicking here.