Although Mayor Bill de Blasio only announced Hornblower as the operator for the Citywide Ferry Service in March, the NYC Economic Development Corporation has already begun construction of ten ferry landings. The work has been happening day and night to ensure the service will be ready to launch in 2017.

The barges for the ferry landings are being fabricated by Skanska at May Ship Repair on Staten Island.  The ferry landings are being designed by McLaren Engineering Group.

“Citywide Ferry is going to connect New Yorkers in 21 neighborhoods around the city with new opportunities for jobs and recreation – all for the price of a subway ride,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “Building the landings is another huge step as we work toward launching this exciting service in 2017.”

NBC4 were given an exclusive look at the construction.

The EDC also released renderings of how the landings will look.

The first batch are almost complete and there are another ten still to be built.

Many are already excited about the convenience the Citywide Ferry will bring to underserved areas including the Rockaways and Bay Ridge, commuting and connecting is about to get a whole lot easier.

The ferry is expected to carry around 4.6 million trips yearly across six routes – taking New Yorkers where they work, live and play.

You can learn more about Citywide Ferry at the Citywide Ferry website CitywideFerry.nyc. The recently launched website will provide updates on the progress of the ferry’s development as well as all the information you need to know including.

You can find the full announcement about the ferry landings here.