A $64 million reconstruction of two aging piers on New York City’s Governors Island is getting underway, with the project set to expand passenger ferry capacity while adding a second dedicated access point for service vehicles, construction traffic, and emergency response.
The Trust for Governors Island said Oct. 21 that work is beginning on Yankee Pier and Lima Pier, both of which are about 60 years old and were originally built to support U.S. Coast Guard operations on the island.
Yankee Pier will be rebuilt as a larger passenger ferry gateway, while Lima Pier will serve primarily as a logistics and emergency-access facility. The project is funded by the City of New York.
Preparation for demolition of both piers is scheduled to begin this month. Yankee Pier will be out of service during construction, with NYC Ferry’s South Brooklyn route and the Trust’s seasonal Brooklyn ferry service shifting to Pier 101 beginning Nov. 2. Passenger service at Soissons Landing will continue.
The rebuilt Yankee Pier will have a wider rectangular deck designed to accommodate passenger queuing for as many as four ferry routes. Plans also call for a floating landing capable of serving a broader range of vessels, along with seating, lighting, wayfinding, service information and a canopy.
The pier will be rebuilt to an elevation of 11 feet as part of an effort to improve resistance to flooding and severe weather.
“Every visit to Governors Island begins at the water’s edge,” said Clare Newman, president and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “This investment gives the Island a ferry gateway built for the year-round destination it has become, with room to welcome more routes and more New Yorkers in the years ahead.”
Lima Pier, meanwhile, will be reconstructed to handle deliveries of goods and services, construction materials, historic-building rehabilitation work, new facilities and park improvements. It will also provide additional emergency access and mooring capacity for the Trust’s vessel fleet.
The project comes as Governors Island continues to support increased year-round activity. The island now receives nearly 1 million visitors annually, according to the Trust, and ferry service remains its only public transportation connection.
The work has been coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. In-water construction will be subject to seasonal restrictions intended to protect fish and other marine life.
Environmental considerations are also shaping the Lima Pier work. A colony of Common Terns, a species listed as threatened in New York, has used the pier area in recent years. The Trust said it is working with NYC Bird Alliance to provide a floating dock that can support tern habitat during construction and after the project is completed.
“By prioritizing terns in the pier redesign, the Trust is setting an example for how cities can thoughtfully use waterfronts while protecting biodiversity,” said Dustin Patridge, senior director of conservation and science at NYC Bird Alliance.
The design contract was awarded to a team led by New York-based Indigo River, with Assemblage Landscape Architecture and COLLECTIF Engineering providing support. Skanska will serve as construction manager.
Public access to Governors Island’s parks, public spaces and waterfront esplanade is expected to remain open during the pier work.
