New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Simpson and NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein joined local, state and federal officials recently celebrated the completion of a project that returned a portion of Hoboken Terminal to its original design—restoring permanent ferry service to the historic building.
The historic, Beaux-Arts style terminal and its ferry slips were originally built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1907. Hoboken ferry service was discontinued in 1967 due to declining demand, but was reintroduced in 1989 at a temporary facility at the southern end of the terminal building.
In early 2003, NJ TRANSIT and the Port Authority entered into an agreement to allow for the restoration of the Hoboken Terminal ferry slips and supporting infrastructure, with the goal of returning ferry service to its original location, while protecting and enhancing the historic elements of the terminal.
The $120 million project, funded through a mixture of state, federal and Port Authority funding, was divided into three phases. The first phase, which began in April 2004 and was completed in September 2005, included repairs to the terminal’s substructure and superstructure.
Work on the second phase began in December 2005 and was completed in April 2008, including construction of a 230-foot tall clock tower replica modeled after the original 1907 design by architect Kenneth Murchison. In homage to the original, the clock tower includes four-foot-high copper letters spelling out the word “Lackawanna” and is surmounted by an illuminated clock with four 12-foot diameter faces, one on each side of the tower.
The second phase also included marine construction of five of the original six ferry slips, as well as restoration of the exterior copper facade and lighting on the river side of the terminal, structural repairs, roof repairs and demolition of the finger piers and wooden fenders.
Construction of the ferry boarding area was completed in the third and final phase, along with all remaining work necessary to restore ferry service to the original slips, including work on utilities, lighting, the ticketing area, ferry barges and gangways.
NY Waterway, owned and operated by Port Imperial Ferry Corp and Billybey Ferry Co., will be providing service from the ferry slips. NY Waterway provides the largest privately-owned commuter ferry service in the U.S., carrying 35,000 passenger trips per day – 8 million trips per year, including service between New Jersey and Manhattan.
Hoboken Terminal currently provides travelers multiple transit options including commuter rail, light rail, bus, PATH and ferry service. Nearly 60,000 people use the terminal on a typical weekday. BD+C
Related Stories
| Jun 12, 2013
More than 90% of New York City schools have code violations
More than 90% of New York City schools have at least one outstanding building code violation. Loose wires, stuck doors and inadequate ventilation are just some of the problems.
| Jun 12, 2013
5 building projects that put the 'team' in teamwork
The winners of the 2013 Building Team Awards show that great buildings cannot be built without the successful collaboration of the Building Team.
| Jun 12, 2013
Sacred synergy achieves goals for religious education [2013 Building Team Award winner]
A renovation/addition project at Columbia Theological Seminary unites a historic residence hall with a modern classroom facility.
| Jun 12, 2013
‘Talking’ Braille maps help the visual impaired
Talking pen technology, combined with tactile maps, allows blind people to more easily make their way around BART stations in the Bay Area.
| Jun 11, 2013
Music/dance building supports sweet harmony [2013 Building Team Award winner]
A LEED Gold project enhances a busy Chicago neighborhood, meeting ambitious criteria for acoustical design and adaptability.
| Jun 11, 2013
Vertical urban campus fills a tall order [2013 Building Team Award winner]
Roosevelt University builds a 32-story tower to satisfy students’ needs for housing, instruction, and recreation.
| Jun 11, 2013
Building a better box: High-bay lab aims for net-zero [2013 Building Team Award winner]
Building Team cooperation and expertise help Georgia Tech create a LEED Platinum building for energy science.
| Jun 11, 2013
Finnish elevator technology could facilitate supertall building design
KONE Corporation has announced a new elevator technology that could make it possible for supertall buildings to reach new heights by eliminating several problems of existing elevator technology. The firm's new UltraRope hoisting system uses a rope with a carbon-fiber core and high-friction coating, rather than conventional steel rope.
| Jun 10, 2013
Lake Washington STEM school combines modular and site-built construction to meet ambitious schedule
When the Lake Washington School District outside Seattle needed a new high school built on an ambitious permitting and construction schedule of seven months, modular construction proved to be an ideal solution.
| Jun 7, 2013
Must see: Building façade made of massive concrete drain pipes
Looking to create a unique atmosphere using natural materials for the Prahran Hotel pub near Melbourne, local architect Techné Architects cleverly incorporated a series of concrete sewer pipes into the building's main façade.