Hope Returns for the Coney Island ferry service

by Olivia Seaman, Brooklyn Paper

After years of stalled plans and canceled projects, the Coney Island ferry is moving forward again – this time with a research buoy at Steeplechase Pier. The buoy will collect crucial data on wind and wave conditions, and is part of an effort to determine whether ferry services to Coney Island could finally become viable.

On social media, Councilman Justin Brannan said the data collected “will help evaluate the feasibility of ferry services for different or larger vessels better suited to these conditions, as well as whether alternative wave mitigation structures could make ferry services to Coney Island Beach more financially viable.”

Brannan, a longtime supporter of the ferry project, credited the collaboration with State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, writing, “Shout-out to my colleague and partner on all things Coney Island Ferry [Scarcella-Spanton] for working on this with me. Let’s go!!!”

The buoy placement, coordinated by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, marks a crucial step in assessing how to safely and sustainably operate a ferry route that has faced hurdles for years.

In 2021, NYCEDC built a ferry terminal on Coney Island Creek and started dredging the creek to make way for a ferry route. But the project was discontinued the following year due to safety and navigation problems and local opposition. Lots of locals feared that dredging the toxic creek would have a negative impact on local marine life and the health of the local population and the state ultimately imposed a fine on EDC and its contractors for improper dredging practices.

With Coney Island Creek off the table, EDC accelerated a feasibility study for an ocean ferry to Coney Island in 2022. Months later, the agency to leave that route too, after we discovered that building an oceanfront ferry terminal would be extremely expensive and logistically challenging. A ferry landing on the beach at Steeplechase Pier, engineers said at the time, would have required a long barrier to prevent ocean waves from damaging the landing. Construction would likely have cost between $200 and $250 million, 40 times more than the cost of the average ferry landing.

But locals continued to call for a ferry, saying it was desperately needed for the transit-starved coastal nabe.

Last year, Brannan submitted a bill that would “require city agencies to conduct a study on a potential ferry service” in the area. The legislation aims to move the conversation from concept to concrete planning.

Under the bill, Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez would be responsible for submitting the investigation’s findings to the mayor and city council president within one year of the law’s enactment. The bill was referred to the Council’s Transport Committee last September and has not yet been voted on.

Brannan, who is not seeking re-election, referred questions about the project to his lead attorney, Kayla Santosuosso, who is running to succeed him on the City Council and has his support. Santosuosso said the buoy is more than a research tool, but a sign of tangible progress.

“Councilmember Brannan pledged to make the Steeplechase Pier Coney Island Ferry a reality and this is another important step toward turning vision into reality,” she said. This new buoy is a symbol of progress as we move steadily forward to bring fast, reliable ferry service to Coney Island, making life better for residents, employees and visitors.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally appeared in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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