Elected officials are scheduled to gather at Liberty State Park in Jersey City at 12 p.m. Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for an updated ferry terminal, a multi-million-dollar facility built to move millions of annual Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island visitors while also serving as an emergency evacuation point for the harbor. The centerpiece is a newly engineered 200-foot by 50-foot barge outfitted with four advanced ferry slips, replacing infrastructure that failed six years ago. Construction is expected to continue intermittently through the end of 2026.
According to ABC7 New York, the facility is designed to dock multiple emergency vehicles. The $22 million Liberty State Park Ferry and Emergency Evacuation and Terminal Facility Project, as detailed by Associated Construction Publications, pairs a 200-foot-long fixed pier with the floating steel barge to improve both everyday visitor access and regional emergency readiness. The same trade publication notes the updated facility can dock up to four rescue or transport vessels simultaneously, enabling the U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police and other regional agencies to carry out mass evacuations under an “all-boats” call issued by the Captain of the Port.
A Custom Barge From Erie
The floating dock itself traveled a long way to reach Jersey City. The custom-built barge was manufactured by Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The new barge became necessary after the park's former ferry barge partially sank during a winter storm in 2020.
The ferry route running from Liberty State Park to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island carries an estimated 4 million visitors each year, per the Associated Construction Publications report. That volume underscores why a functioning, storm-resistant terminal matters well beyond the ribbon-cutting photo line.
A Terminal Rooted in 19th-Century Rail History
The ferry landing sits beside a historic rail terminal.
The dock's debut also lands amid a broader wave of investment across the park. Elsewhere on the grounds, the Liberty Science Center broke ground earlier this month on a $40 million outdoor expansion known as Project Supernova, a 100,000-square-foot project backed by New Jersey Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion tax credits.
