The U.S. Maritime Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation today designated Sunset Park’s South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the nearby Red Hook Container Terminal as part of America’s Marine Highway System, which will make cargo operations in Southwest Brooklyn eligible for future federal support.
Included in the designation is the allowance of more cross-harbor freight barges that transfers cargo back and forth between Brooklyn and New Jersey cargo terminal, with the potential of saving thousands of truck trips over New Jersey crossings into the city.
Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement with about a dozen people beside him including several Brooklyn elected leaders, and federal and maritime industry officials.
“This is a big step towards putting our waterfront back to work. Soon, cargo ships that would have docked in New Jersey will be docking here in Brooklyn, bringing good jobs, taking trucks off our streets and helping spur this growing industrial hub,” said de Blasio. “This transformation is happening because of the dogged advocacy of our congressional delegation, our partners in the City Council and our colleagues at the Port Authority, with whom we’ve worked together to bring this new port online.”
Brooklyn Congress members Nydia Velazquez and Jerrold Nadler were on hand as both have been in the trenches fighting for more maritime uses for the Brooklyn waterfront.
“I am extremely grateful to Mayor Bill de Blasio for committing his administration to the phased development of a major deep-water container port centered here at SBMT. I fundamentally believe that an active Brooklyn container port is imperative for the economic vitality, and environmental well-being, of the City and region — as well as the local community of Sunset Park — and that it is a key element in ensuring that our port district overall retains its position of dominance on the eastern seaboard of the United States,” said Nadler.
Both Nadler and de Blasio said that despite the cross-harbor freight barge designation, Nadler’s longtime dream of a cross-harbor freight tunnel connecting New Jersey and Brooklyn remains on the drawing board.
Other elected officials at the event included Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, City Council Members Carlos Menchaca and Brad Lander, State Senators Daniel Squadron and Velmanette Montgomery, and Assembky members Felix Ortiz and Jo Anne Simon.
