Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry

Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry

The MV Park City crossing Long Island Sound during the summer of 2016
Waterway Long Island Sound
Transit type Passenger and automobile ferry
Route Bridgeport - Port Jefferson
Carries passengers, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, and buses of all sizes
Operator Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company
Began operation 1883
System length 18 miles
Travel time 1 hour and 15 minutes, one way
No. of vessels 3
No. of terminals 2
Yearly ridership 1,300,000 (2005)
Yearly vehicles 500,000 (2005)

The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, better known as the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry is a ferry company that operates ferry service across the Long Island Sound, between the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut and the Long Island village of Port Jefferson, New York.

Founded in 1883, the company is one of the oldest ferry companies in America.

Service

The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry operates between Port Jefferson, NY and Bridgeport, CT, and the service currently consists of three vessels and two terminals. Travel time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Each vessel contains a dual-level car deck with capacity ranging from 90 to 120. A third (main) level exists on each vessel containing a small outdoor area at the rear of the vessel, a large cabin in the middle with seating areas and a snack bar, and a cocktail lounge (For passengers 21 and older) near the bow. Additional (outdoor) seating areas are located on the top deck of each vessel. All three vessels have elevators between the car deck and main cabin deck.

History

The first ferry service began in 1872 and proved popular.[1] The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company was subsequently founded in 1883 by several backers, including entrepreneur P.T. Barnum,[2] and Port Jefferson seaman Charles E. Tooker. [3] The ferry company originally operated steamship service, but the acquisition of the Martha's Vineyard in 1968 ended steamship service. Since then, the company has been referred to in signage and conversation as the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry, but the term Steamboat Company is still used legally.

Since 1980, the President has been Brian McAllister who also owns one hundred percent of the company's shares.[4] The McAllisters purchased the company in 1960 from Joseph Tooker, Charles Tooker's grandson.[5]

All season transportation began in 1983 with the launching of the Grand Republic. Since then, the service imperative has shifted towards vehicles, although foot passengers remain a significant form of revenue. Ridership greatly increased during the 1980s and 90s from 150,000 passengers and 30,000 cars in 1984 to 800,000 passengers and 300,000 cars in 1999. The car-to-passenger ratio has also decreased over the years as more people began driving their vehicles onboard the ferry. The ratio was originally 1:5 in 1984, but has gone below 1:3 in recent years.

In 1999, with the launching of the PT Barnum, the ferry company began operating hourly, three-vessel service on weekends, holidays, and during the summer.[6] The ferry company still operates only two vessels on off-season weekdays, with departures every 90 minutes. The old Grand Republic was eventually replaced with a newer and larger Grand Republic in 2003.

On May 29, 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld a United States District Court for the District of Connecticut ruling that the Bridgeport Port Authority was unconstitutionally collecting taxes from the ferry company and passengers.[4] The port authority was ordered to pay the ferry company $1.1 million in reparations.[7]

In 2013, the ferry company unveiled plans to move its Bridgeport dock across the Pequonnock River to a new and larger terminal.[8] The city approved the plan in April 2014, and the new terminal is slated to open in 2020.[9]

In June 2016, likely intended to be used in conjunction with the aforementioned new terminal, the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry made significant changes to its ticketing system. Tickets were for many years purchased while on board the vessel (at a purser's booth) and turned in to a crew member before walking or driving off. However, in June 2016, the new ticket system was implemented, where tickets are purchased and turned in before boarding the vessel. Tickets are sold online, over the phone, and inside the terminals. The new tickets, which contain bar codes, are scanned prior to boarding, and can even be displayed over a cell phone or mobile device.[10]

As of 2017, the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry carries approximately 1.3 million passengers and 500,000 vehicles annually.

Ports

The distance between the two ports is approximately 18 miles (29 km). The average crossing is one hour and fifteen minutes in duration.

Bridgeport

41°10′21″N 73°10′55″W / 41.17250°N 73.18194°W / 41.17250; -73.18194

The ferry is located at 330 Water Street Dock Bridgeport, CT 06604. It is within walking distance of the Arena at Harbor Yard, the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, the Barnum Museum, the Metro-North station, the main GBTA Bus Station, the Klein Memorial Auditorium, and most of the downtown. In 2004 a new car loading ramp was installed featuring AASHTO HS-20 truck capacity.[11] The aforementioned proposed new terminal will be located on Seaview Avenue at the former site of Turbana Corporation.

Port Jefferson

40°56′46″N 73°3′44″W / 40.94611°N 73.06222°W / 40.94611; -73.06222

The ferry is located at 102 West Broadway Port Jefferson, NY 11777. A large gold leaf statue of an eagle was erected on the corner of Routes 112 and 25A in 2002, replacing one of Thomas Jefferson. Directly across from the dock, it is a monument for victims of 9/11.[12] The ferry is approximately one mile north of the Port Jefferson LIRR station.[13]

Vessels

There are currently three vessels in service between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson [2][14]

Current ships

MV Park City: (1986 - present)
The MV Park City was built by Offshore Shipbuilding in Palatka, FL in 1986 at a cost of $5 million. It is 280 feet (85 m) long and 47 feet (14 m) wide with capacity for 1000 passengers and 90 cars, and was named after the nickname of the city of Bridgeport. In January 2012, the Park City was removed from service for a midlife refit. The main cabin was refurbished, and a new elevator was added. The Park City re-entered service in May 2012, and the renovation has cemented the Park City as the ferry company's flagship vessel, despite its smaller size than the other two.[15]

M.V. P.T. Barnum: (1999 - present)
The MV PT Barnum was built in 1999 by Eastern Marine Shipbuilding in Panama City, FL at a cost of $12 million. It is 52 feet (16 m) wide and 300 feet (91 m) long, and is named after the ferry company's founder. The PT Barnum can carry 1000 passengers and 120 cars, and was constructed at a cost of $12 million.

M.V. Grand Republic: (2003 - present)
The MV Grand Republic was built in 2003 also by Eastern Marine Shipbuilding in Panama City, FL, and is the newest and largest vessel in the fleet. It is the PT Barnum's sister ship, and is nearly identical in structure and dimensions, being 52 feet (16 m) wide and 300 feet (91 m) long, but has an after deck 5 feet longer than the PT Barnum's. The Grand Republic can carry up to 1,000 passengers and 120 vehicles and was constructed at a cost of $14 million.

Decommissioned ships

References

  1. ↑ "Powered by Google Docs" (PDF). Docs.google.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  2. 1 2 Cavanaugh, Jack (August 1, 1999). "The View From/Bridgeport; With Ridership Rising, Ferry Gets a New Ship". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  3. ↑ "Crossing the Sound, the ferry’s history in photographs". Northshoreoflongisland.com. 2007-02-23. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  4. 1 2 "Docket No. 08-3886-cv. - BRIDGEPORT AND PORT JEFFERSON STEAMBOAT COMPANY v. BRIDGEPORT PORT AUTHORITY - US 2nd Circuit". Caselaw.findlaw.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  5. ↑ Bridgeport on the Sound - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  6. ↑ https://www.88844ferry.com/AboutUs/ALookattheFleet.aspx
  7. ↑ http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/ferry-company-awarded-fees-in-court-fight-now-what/
  8. ↑ http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/City-warming-up-to-idea-Port-Jeff-ferry-move-3544382.php
  9. ↑ http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Ferry-to-move-across-Bridgeport-Harbor-5405088.php
  10. ↑ https://www.88844ferry.com/DocksideTicketing.aspx
  11. ↑ "Microsoft Word - Newsletter Page 1 - 0404.doc" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  12. ↑ Fischler, Marcelle S. (June 30, 2002). "Long Island Journal; Tug of War Over a Monument". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  13. ↑ Archived July 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ "Ferries Built in the U.S. since WWII". Shipbuildinghistory.com. 2009-10-06. Archived from the original on 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  15. ↑ http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Ferry-gets-refitted-with-new-elevator-amenities-3483784.php
  16. ↑ "US-Flag Ferries, Privately Owned". Shipbuildinghistory.com. 2010-06-05. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  17. ↑ Bridgeport on the Sound - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  18. ↑ A. Kisselgof. "Final chapter: The Islander and other bygone ferries". US-MA: Mvmagazine.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  19. 1 2 Long Island Genealogy. "The legendary Park City of The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company". Longislandgenealogy.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.