Getting to Rockaway Beach is going to get a whole lot easier starting next summer. We already knew the Rockaways were going to be one of the stops on the Citywide Ferry service, but now the city has announced that a free shuttle bus service will connect the ferry stop to different parts of the Rockaways.
There will be two separate shuttle routes that will run to and from the ferry terminal at Beach 108th Street. One will run east to Beach 35th Street and one will run west to Beach 169th Street, and in total the routes will span four miles.
“We were proud to partner with the community and local leaders to develop a shuttle service that will help even more Rockaway residents access the ferry, and connect to good jobs and opportunities throughout the five boroughs,” Maria Torres-Springer, the president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, agency overseeing the citywide ferry service, said in a statement.
The shuttle bus routes are under final review by Department of Transportation but the list right now includes six stops on each of the two routes. Travel time from the ferry terminal to either end will take about 25 minutes.
Here are the routes:
Eastbound stops:
Ferry Terminal:Beach Channel Dr. & Beach 108th
Stop 2: Rockaway Beach Blvd & Beach. 86th St
Stop 3: Beach Channel Drive & Beach. 67th
Stop 4: Beach Channel Drive & Beach 54th St
Stop 5: Beach Channel Drive & Beach 41st St
Bus Terminus: Beach Channel Drive & Beach 35th St
Westbound stops:
Ferry Terminal: Beach Channel Drive & Beach 108th
Stop 2: Rockaway Beach Blvd & Beach 127th St
Stop 3: Rockaway Beach Blvd & Beach 135th St
Stop 4: Rockaway Beach Blvd & Beach 149th St
Stop 5: Jacob Riis Park Road & Bath House
Terminus: Rockaway Point Blvd & Beach 169th St (Weekday Only)*
When the service kicks off next summer, the city will also introduce a parking lot at Beach Channel Drive and Beach 108th Street. The citywide ferry will get started with three routes next summer.
The Astoria route will connect that neighborhood to Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, East 34th Street and Wall Street; the South Brooklyn route will connect Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Red Hook, Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 and Pier 6, and Wall Street, with an optional link to Governors Island; and the above mentioned Rockaway route will connect to the Brooklyn Army Terminal and Wall Street.