Ferry landings integral part of new NYC Ferry service

Written by Marine Log Staff
image description

Ferry landing for NYC Ferry's Rockaway route

SEPTEMBER 15, 2017—Back on August 1, NYC Ferry—New York City’s new ferry service that connects Manhattan with the outer boroughs—celebrated the carriage of its 1 millionth passenger. An integral part of the new service, launched by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and operated by Hornblower, are new ferry landings in Brooklyn at Bay Ridge, Atlantic Basin, and Brooklyn Bridge Park, and one in Queens in Astoria. The landings, estimated at $55 million, were designed by the McLaren Engineering Group, West Nyack, NY.

McLaren provided engineering consulting services on the development and design of 11 new and several upgraded NYC Ferry landings. The scope of the firm’s work included design, planning, coordination, permitting, procurement and construction administration.

Malcolm G. McLaren, President and CEO, McLaren Engineering Group, says the firm “helped develop the floating landing concept in New York harbor and have been for improving on it for more than 30 years. Our extensive experience prepared us to quickly design landings that link the city’s boroughs in a safe and efficient manner.”

Key services McLaren provided on the design of the NYC Ferry landings include fendering and vessel impact design, accessibility design, canopy, gates and railings, windscreens, navigational piles, and the upland gateways with power and wayfinding.

Additionally, in support, McLaren performed the surveying, inspections, geotechnical investigations, and permit submissions for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the NYC Department of Small Business Services, the Public Design Commission, and City Parks.

“After studying the proposed landing sites to ensure the locations were viable,” says Shea Thorvaldsen, marine division manager, McLaren Engineering Group, “we implemented our fast track designs, which we have refined over the last 30 years. We then determined how to get the riders safely onboard, power to the site, and how to minimize the impact of the landings on the surrounding neighborhood.”

McLaren’s marine structural engineering team has been designing and implementing floating ferry landing concepts since the mid 1980’s. The typical design contains a barge on the waterway that rises and falls with the tides, and can accommodate multiple vessels of varying freeboards. Designed to be compliant with Local Law 68 (passenger accessibility), the barges can easily be maintained, while ensuring structural resiliency. 

McLaren has engineered more than 60 ferry transportation facilities in the Northeast. These include the Battery Park Ferry Terminal at the World Financial Center, the restoration of the Hoboken (Lackawanna) Ferry Terminal, and the Port Imperial terminal in Weehawken, NJ.

Hornblower, NYCEDC, and McLaren Engineering Group will on be on hand to discuss the new NYC Ferry service at Marine Log FERRIES 2017 Conference & Expo, which is set for Nov. 9-10, 2017 at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. The Marine Log FERRIES Conference & Expo series is the longest running ferry conference in North America. This year marks its 30th anniversary. Click here for more details on this year’s program, sponors, and exhibitors.

Categories: Ferries Tags: , , , ,

Leave a Reply