Union Dry Dock FAQs

NY Waterway must have Union Dry Dock to keep its ferry fleet in top running condition, to serve you and more than 30,000 of your neighbors who ride the ferries every day.

NY Waterway needs a centrally located maintenance facility to effectively respond to emergencies, such as the recent NY Waterway Hoboken Ferry rescue of a helicopter pilot, as well ones like the US Airways Flight 1549 ‘Miracle On The Hudson' rescue (and hundreds of others).

When PATH is disrupted or the tunnels blocked, NY Waterway is there. The ferries won't be there if they are not maintained at the right location and facility. If NY Waterway is not permitted to use its property at Union Dry Dock, continued frequent and reliable ferry service to Hoboken (and to the region) will be at risk.

The Weehawken, Bayonne or Erie Lackawanna sites just won't work. Any of these sites would require well more than $50 million to develop a suitable upland facility and may lead to changes in NY Waterway ferry service and fares.

At no cost to Hoboken taxpayers, NY Waterway will: Build a seawall to protect Hoboken Cove Provide for public use 20,000 square feet of NY Waterway property in Hoboken Cove Wider Hudson River Promenade Build a new public fishing pier Build a new kayak launch. No ferries will operate or dock in Hoboken Cove. NY Waterway will create a wide, landscaped bikeway and walkway at Union Dry Dock and beautify the entire site.

NY Waterway has been paying taxes on the Union Dry Dock and has permits from the state and federal government, but Hoboken leaders won't allow us to operate there, as is our right. This situation cannot continue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will there be storage on-site?

Yes. All storage will be indoors (double contained).

How Much Fuel?

Max 30,000 in approved container tanks (inside building, flood protected; no fuel stored outside, not visible).

Average neighborhood gas station stores 30,000 gallons of fuel.

Gas station nearby stores 60,000 gallons (and not just diesel).

Our fuel is Ultra Low Sulfur #2 Diesel.

How Often Is Fuel Delivered (Traffic Concerns)?

9 truck deliveries per week, during business hours Mon - Sat. Trucks deliver fuel under the building. Not visible to public.

How are we handling the waste? (Process & Time of Day)

Used oil, new oil & water waste is pumped into tanks located inside building – double contained, then picked up & removed by a certified waste removal provider. Business hours Mon - Sat

Actual amount of spots accurate on the rendering?

80 parking spaces (not fully visible on rendering)

How many employees working at location?

Max 20 working at the facility, plus mgmt. 70 max w/Operations staff parking for boat deployment. (20 maintenance workers / 50 reporting & ferry deployed)

No way near the amount of people who worked at the prior UDD. (150 on-site workers)

Operations staff / ferry crews will be arriving early in am (5a - 6a). No heavy in & out traffic.

Nearest residential building is 350 ft. from UDD. (Steven's housing) Next closest residential is 475 ft.

Will this be a Ferry Terminal?

No. It is a ferry maintenance facility.

Where the boat lift will be located? (Can we include all the equipment on the rendering?)

Lift is positioned behind the building, not visible from front / street. Not a large (industrial) crane. More like an elevator lift for boats to be worked on in / at back side of building.

Concern about noise and lights coming from UDD. Time of day when most activity will take place?

7a - 3p is when most work will be done.

No blasting.

Facility lights will be shielded.

Asking for a full blown schematic – Architectural design.

We have the site plan architectural drawing posted on Truth web page

Folks asking about a rendering of the fishing and kayak area

We want & will work to get public input on this positioning.

Do we have any studies we can place on-line for folks to view? Someone asked if they can view an environmental study.

We do not have a study that we can post on-line. NY Waterway does have the environmental permits from both the NJDEP and Army Corp. Both agencies did their standard project review which includes a National Fishery Service review.

A few folks asked if prices/rates will increase when we enhance the current UDD location.

No. But if we're not able to secure the UDD location this will have an impact on our service at all locations.

Additional Points Lights at the location will be shielded. Site has been for sale since 2006 and sold to NY Waterway in November of 2017 between two private parties. No local variances needed. Entire project is within zoning requirements. Studies were done by the Sate on Bayonne and Lackawanna locations. Although we know neither will conducive to what is needed, we have been asking for these studies since September of 2018. There been a UDD site for over 130 years. Environmentally – the soundest design.