Ferries to the Rescue

Lessons for Resilience on Waterways

R O B E R TA E . W E I S B R O D A N D A D A M Z A R A N K O

Weisbrod is Principal, Sustainable Ports, Brooklyn, New York, and Chair of the TRB Ferry Transportation Committee. Zaranko is Assistant Vice President, New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Staten Island Ferry crew and landside staff set heavy water moorings in advance of Superstorm Sandy, October 2012, at the Ferry Maintenance Facility piers in New York City harbor.

PHOTO: NEW YORK CITY DOT

erries are valued for their role in economic development but also have proved their worth in responding to emergencies:

Riding Out the Superstorm

During and immediately after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, ferries again showed their resilience and their value in aiding the recovery of the New York City region. Superstorm Sandy brought relatively little rain but ferocious high winds and an ocean surge of up to 14 feet at high tide on the night of a full moon. Floods swept into lower Manhattan and across the shorelines of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and New Jersey, especially Hoboken. The superstorms impact was widespread in terms of extent and of the population and infrastructure affected, cutting off power for millions for extended periods. During the storm, ferries stood fast. The Staten Island Ferry crew stayed with the vessels and rode them through the storm, working with shore staff at dockside. Throughout the night at the Ferry Maintenance Facility piers, crews and staff were tending the moorings and working the engines. As the storm approached, frequent gusts were clocked at more than 75 knots before [the] weather station failed (4). By contrast, all other modes were severely disrupted. The widespread flooding caused power outages; traffic lights in lower Manhattan were out; floods filled the tunnels, closing several subway lines con-

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N After the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 damaged the Bay Bridge, authorities rapidly revived the OaklandSan Francisco ferry that had not operated for decades. N In metropolitan New YorkNew Jersey, in response to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, the entire maritime community, including ferries, joined in evacuating lower Manhattan, and ferry services were rapidly put in place to compensate for destroyed routes (1, 2). N Ferries played critical roles in supplying transport during New York Citys 2004 blackout and 2005 transit strike (3). N In 2009 a New York Waterway ferry rescued all the passengers from the plane that ditched, after a bird strike, into the Hudson River, the event known as the Miracle on the Hudson.

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These examples demonstrate the role of ferries in immediate evacuation and in long-term recovery operations.

necting Brooklyn and Manhattan; and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) subway trains linking New Jersey cities and New York City were inoperable. But the ferries kept running. At times ferries were the only form of transit between lower Manhattan and Brooklyn or New Jersey. As a result, ridership expanded on the New York Waterways East River Ferry and Hudson River Ferry. Between Hoboken and New York, ridership jumped 64 percent during the months with no PATH service (5).

PHOTO: BRIAN CRAINE, NYCEDC

Blazing New Routes

New routes were rapidly established. Superstorm Sandy extensively damaged the portion of the subway system that connects the Rockaway peninsula to the rest of Queenseffectively severing the Rockaways from New York Citys transit system. To provide a transportation alternative for residents while the subway line was being restored, the New York City Economic Development Corporation quickly established a temporary ferry service between the Rockaways and lower and midtown Manhattan (Figure 1, below). Seastreak Ferry Company operates the weekday rush hour service; the highly subsidized fare of $2 each way includes parking at the Rockaway ferry landing. The service is continuing through the month of August to support ongoing restoration efforts. To provide transportation options for the citizens of the hard-hit Staten Island shore (6), the New York City Department of Transportation established a temporary ferry service operated by New York Water Taxi between Great Kills and lower and midtown Manhattan for 8 weeks. The subsidized $2 fare included shuttle service and parking.

Lessons for Planning

The success of New York ferries stemmed from preparation. Before the storm, the City secured ferry landings, removing and storing gangways and disconnecting power, to protect the assets from storm damage. As a result of these measures, the damage to landings was minimal; after inspection, three days after the storm, the City reinstituted the East River Ferry service. Like the publicly owned and operated Staten Island Ferry, the privately owned and operated New York Waterway had protected its vessels by keeping them crewed throughout the storm. These successes offer lessons for improved planning. Protective measures resulted in significantly faster commencement of service. Ferry service was in high demand after the stormwith few transportation alternatives as offices began to reopen, ridership on ferries more than doubled in the week after the storm.

The Seastreak Ferry Companys weekday rush-hour service provided transportation to residents of the Rockaways while subway service was being restored.

References
1. Magee, M. (ed). All Available Boats: The Evacuation of Manhattan Island on September 11, 2001. Spencer Books, Bronxville, New York, 2002. 2. Weisbrod, R. Ferries Since 9/11 and into the Future. New York Transportation Journal, Vol. VI, No. 1, Fall 2002, pp. 67. http://wagner.nyu.edu//rudincenter/files/fall02.pdf. 3. 2005 Transit Strike: Transportation Impacts and Analysis. New York City Department of Transportation, 2006. 4. Around-the-Clock Efforts Get Staten Island Ferries Running. Marine Log, November 4, 2012. www.marinelog.com/ index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3155: around-the-clock-efforts-get-staten-island-ferry-back-inservice&catid=1:latest-news. 5. Haddon, H. Rider Gains Buoy Ferry After Sandy. Wall Street Journal, January 21, 2013. 6. Frazier, I. The Toll: Sandy and the Future. New Yorker. February 11, 2013.

PHOTO: BRIAN CRAINE, NYCEDC

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FIGURE 1 Map of Rockaway ferry service, operated by Seastreak Ferry Company.

Seastreak Ferry fares included parking at the landing.

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