A new ferry terminal is coming to South Amboy. The city has been talking about installing one since the 1980s. It is expected to start running in 2025.

However, a temporary dock has been installed and riders will be able to travel to midtown and downtown Manhattan starting on Oct. 30, 2023.

The dock is located near the terminal site on Radford Ferry Road, just off Main Street and North Broadway Street. This means more traffic for businesses in that area.

Efren Cancro, owner of Java Dave's Coffee on Broadway says, "I think it's going to help us because there's so many people going into the city and this is the town before they get to the ferry. So I think it's going to bring us quite a few more customers."

Some say the small area is already dealing with a lot of traffic. Sara Grabowski, owner of Broadway Diner, told News 12, "I think the ferry is going to benefit South Amboy itself, but I don't think it’s going to benefit Broadway. With the lack of parking we have on Broadway, it’s already a challenge for people because the people who live here already park on the streets. People who take the train already park here, so we lose a lot of parking."

The site is expected to offer free parking. South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry says traffic will be limited, thanks to the New York Waterway shuttle system.

"They will go around and pick people up and bring them down here and if there's any other traffic it probably won't really be coming into South Amboy. It'll be coming from the main roads that lead into South Amboy and come right down here," Henry says.

Building the permanent terminal is a $30 million project that will take about 18 months to complete. Meantime, the temporary docking station will be available offering free transfers to Weehawken, Hoboken and Jersey City.

NY Waterway President & CEO Armand Pohand said, "As ferries have done all along the Hudson River, the existence of that ferry site there will in turn be an engine for the development of all of that area around the ferry terminal. There is some houses that have already been built there. I'm sure a lot more will get built as a result of having that ferry connection."

More information about the ferry project can be found on NY Waterway’s website.