ST. GEORGE — The city will hire a consultant to see if Staten Island Ferry service can be extended into Midtown or Wall Street.
Staten Island's Borough President James Oddo met with Department of Transportation commissioner Polly Trottenberg Monday to discuss his proposal to take the service passed the existing Whitehall stop.
He said Trottenberg told him she was in favor of the idea and would study its feasibility.
"The Commissioner indicated to me that the concept merits a formal study so we can better understand the logistics, costs and practical application of the idea," Oddo said in a statement.
"As a next step, DOT has agreed to identify a specialized consultant to study the operational feasibility of additional ferry routes with DOT resources, which likely would include examining the commuting routes of Staten Islanders with an Origin and Destination Study."
The DOT did not have a timeline for when the study was expected to start.
Last week, Trottenberg pledged to "look into the possibility" of adding ferry stops at Wall Street or the East 34th Street docks in a letter sent to Oddo.
“In our continued effort to improve service for ferry riders, the Department of Transportation has already begun to look into the possibility of expanding ferry service to alternate destinations such as Pier 11 and East 34th Street in Manhattan based on your request,” Trottenberg wrote.
The letter and meeting came after Oddo publicly criticized the agency on July 27 for taking more than three months to respond to his letter asking for increased ferry service.
What's the best word to describe fact that DOT still hasn't responded to my April 7 letter? Temerity? Arrogance? Indifference? Incompetence?
— Jimmy Oddo (@HeyNowJO) July 27, 2016
In his April 7 letter, Oddo asked the DOT to help Staten Island commuters — who face one of the longest commutes in the nation — by giving them other options besides express buses to get into Midtown.
"Far too many commuters are forced to take the Staten Island Railway to the ferry, and then get back on the subway in lower Manhattan," Oddo wrote.
"Their only alternative is an express bus that may take as long as two hours to get to Midtown. A four hour commute to and from work is simply unacceptable."
In her letter, Trottenberg apologized for the late response and also highlighted the $300 million being spent on three new ferry boats aimed to replace some of the aging fleet.
