In a significant step toward reshaping the South Bronx waterfront, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday the removal decommissioned Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center — the city’s notorious floating jail barge — to make way for a new Hunts Point Marine Terminal. The new facility will serve as a key link in a growing “blue highway” freight distribution system designed to reduce truck traffic, improve public health, and spur economic development across New York City.
The Bain Center, better known as “The Boat,” has been moored off the Bronx coast since 1992, originally towed in to provide relief from Rikers Island crowding. It was officially decommissioned in 2023. The new announcement marks the end of an era for the controversial jail complex and the beginning of a new chapter focused on business, sustainability, and community investment.
Today, we are adding another destination to that harbor by clearing out the old jail barge in the Bronx and building a new Hunts Point Marine Terminal in its place,” Mayor Adams announced at a press conference in front of the barge.
The new marine terminal will be a freight transfer point, where goods arriving by ship will be unloaded and redistributed throughout the five boroughs using cleaner modes of transportation. The project will remove an estimated 9,000 truck trips per month from city streets, according to city officials, which will alleviate traffic congestion and pollution — two perennial issues in Hunts Point.
“This is a brand new concept for how we move goods around the city,” said Andrew Kimball, President of the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC).
Projected Economic Impact
The economic and health benefits are also profound. The project, the City Hall says, will generate 400 construction jobs, 100 permanent jobs, and nearly $4 billion in economic benefit over 30 years. Authorities say reduced diesel emissions from trucks could also mean improved respiratory health for residents, especially in a community where asthma rates still rank among the country’s highest.
“Shutting down the jail barge is not only about reducing jail capacity — it’s about healing a painful legacy and advancing environmental justice for communities that have long borne the weight of carceral infrastructure,” said Stanley Richards, President and CEO of the Fortune Society.
This is about investing in and empowering the people of Hunts Point and the Bronx,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión Jr., a former Bronx Borough President.
Read also: Chobani Announces US$1.2 Billion Yogurt Plant in Rome, New York
Political victory
The announcement is also a personal and political victory for Bronx Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., a long-time supporter of removing the barge. This is a game-changer economically,” said Salamanca. “The barge has been an eyesore on the Bronx waterfront since the early 1990s. Previous administrations made the promise to eliminate it but never came through. Mayor Adams made that promise to me on the campaign trail — and he came through.”.
The NYC EDC ensured that they would issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) soon to find a company to oversee the green disposal of the huge 800-bed barge. Kimball estimated that removal would occur within 60 to 90 days.
Marine terminal design work has already begun and should finish by around 2030 or 2031, aligning with the development timeline of other significant freight infrastructure projects, such as the $3.7 billion redevelopment of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, which also received a $164 million federal grant and $18 million in city upgrades.
Broader investment in Hunts Point
As part of its broader investment in Hunts Point’s future, EDC also announced $1.4 million in funding to establish an Economic Mobility Network. The initiative will connect Bronx residents with green economy jobs and jobs at the Food Distribution Center in partnership with local community-based organizations, including The Point CDC, Rocking the Boat, and the Bronx River Alliance.
In another effort to increase access and livability along the Bronx waterfront, the city will invest over $28 million to extend bike paths along the whole stretch.
The announcement was also met with approval from activists who push for the total closure of Rikers Island.
“Just like Rikers, the Boat has facilitated mass incarceration and dehumanization,” said Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda. “Today’s announcement represents a victory for all of our members who suffered harm from it and raised their voices to call for its shutdown. Eric Adams still has time to make good on his previous promises.”
As the Vernon C. Bain Center is soon to be a memory, the city officials assert that the rebirth of Hunts Point as a hub of contemporary freight movement, green industry, and community development is finally within reach.
Read also: New York City lays out plans for the largest mass timber residential project on Staten Island
Hunts Point Marine Terminal Project Factsheet
Project Overview
Location: Hunts Point, South Bronx waterfront
Timeline: Design completion by 2030-2031
Barge Removal: 60-90 days from contractor selection
Economic Impact
Jobs Created: 400 construction jobs + 100 permanent positions
Economic Benefit: Nearly $4 billion over 30 years
Additional Investment: $1.4 million for Economic Mobility Network
Read also: Greenbacker Begins Construction on New York’s Largest Solar Farm
