Mayor Bloomberg - Please Spend the $4.4 Million Federal Ferry Dock Funds Now!

Following up on previous post. Another weekend, another F train service suspension for Roosevelt Island. This time there is no Roosevelt Island service from Manhattan. The previous few weeks there has been no F train service to Manhattan. This is becoming increasingly frustrating and I can imagine it will only get worse when the Tram goes out of service for at least seven months in early 2009. Even if subway repairs are completed by the time the Tram becomes unavailable, transportation to and from Roosevelt Island will be a nightmare due to the increased population from additional Riverwalk buildings, not to mention the possibility of condos at the Coler-Goldwater hospital. Something needs to be done to expedite ferry service or some other means of alternative transportation for Roosevelt Island.

Could the following article explain part of the reason for the delays in getting ferry service to Roosevelt Island or the winter cancellation of NY Water Taxi's East River route. In a recent article on the suspension of East River Ferry service, the NY Times reports that:

...city officials have left untouched about $4.4 million in federal funds that Congress appropriated in 2005 for building a network of water taxi docks in the city, said Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, a Democrat. One of Ms. Maloney’s staff members met with city officials two weeks ago in an effort to persuade them to spend some of that money, she said Monday.

“It’s been on a priority list of the city to have water service, but they haven’t moved on it,” Ms. Maloney said. The city has said it still has the matter under consideration.

One can only ask why the Bloomberg administration is sitting on this pile of federal money when it could be used to construct a much needed water transportation system for Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Dumbo, Red Hook and other NYC waterfront neighborhoods?
More on ferry service as it effects real estate developments from Curbed.
Williamsburg blogger I'm Not Sayin reports on a pier being built by Toll Brothers Northside Piers development.
Pile of money image is from Home Exchange Travel.