A maritime hub in Hunts Point is set to launch this year, facilitating the transfer of freight from trucks to barges.
Photo courtesy of NYCEDC
Plans for a New Marine Hub
City officials have unveiled plans to construct a new marine transportation hub on the East River, adjacent to the Hunts Point Fish Market. This initiative aims to alleviate truck traffic in the South Bronx by transporting food and goods from the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center via water, utilizing what the city refers to as the “blue highway.”
Impact on Traffic and Pollution
This project, involving the addition of a new barge, is anticipated to launch later this year and has the potential to reduce truck trips in the South Bronx by up to 1,000 each month. This area already suffers from high levels of air pollution. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Con Agg Global (CAG), a company that specializes in urban logistics.
Community Support for Sustainable Solutions
Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson praised the proposal as “innovative,” emphasizing the necessity for more sustainable distribution systems in the South Bronx. “The commencement of this new waterside transloading facility is a significant advancement for Hunts Point and the broader South Bronx,” she remarked. The project seeks to reduce congestion, enhance air quality, and safeguard the health of local residents, particularly in neighborhoods severely affected by truck traffic.
Implementation of a Temporary and Permanent Port
To kick off the project, Con Agg Global plans to construct and operate a temporary port for the blue highway until obtaining the required approvals from the New York City Council, after which a permanent facility will be developed. The planned permanent project will feature a modular pier system that can be customized based on logistical demands, primarily catering to the wholesale food and beverage distribution to other ports in New York City.
Advocacy for Environmental Justice
This initiative is part of a broader movement to identify more sustainable distribution strategies, leveraging the city’s waterways as an alternative to freight trucks, which have historically contributed to significant air pollution and congestion in the South Bronx. Environmental justice advocates, such as Maria Torres, president and COO of The Point CDC in Hunts Point, have advocated for equitable and sustainable distribution methods for three decades.
Personal Impact on Local Residents
New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., representing Hunts Point in District 17, voiced that residents have faced the negative impacts of freight trucks for long enough. Growing up in the South Bronx, Salamanca remarked that the industrial trucks not only provided a livelihood but also led to personal health struggles with asthma due to truck emissions.
