New York City Mayor Eric Adams, alongside the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and NYC Department of Correction (DOC), announced the permanent removal of the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center barge from the Hunts Point waterfront in The Bronx during a press conference held June 11, as reported by YIMBY.

 

In its place, the city plans to develop a new Hunts Point Marine Terminal, which will serve as a logistics hub connecting maritime freight to last-mile delivery systems throughout New York City.

 

According to City officials, the proposed terminal is projected to create approximately 400 construction jobs and 100 permanent positions, while generating $3.9 billion in economic impact over the next three decades.

 

As part of the redevelopment, EDC officials said the organization will initiate land remediation to address historical pollution and unlock the site’s potential, with full remediation expected by 2027. The plan also includes a $28 million investment to expand the local greenway and improve access to the waterfront along Halleck Street.

Once complete, according to City officials, the terminal is expected to significantly reduce truck traffic by rerouting up to 9,000 trips per month onto marine routes, aligning with New York City’s “Blue Highways” program to shift cargo transport to waterways. They said the facility will work in conjunction with nearby infrastructure, including a Blue Highways terminal developed by Con Agg Global, which is set to begin operations this year.

 

Additionally, EDC officials said it has awarded $1.4 million to the Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation to launch an Economic Mobility Network that connects residents to jobs and workforce training in green and maritime industries.

 

As reported, over 215 advocacy groups recently demanded the reversal of the HALT law suspension pertaining to the segregation of incarcerated individuals from State prisons’ general populations.

 

Separately, NYC Department of Correction (DOC) recently announced that two additional people died on or in transit to Rikers island on the same day, June 20.

 

Norwood News previously published an op-ed by Edwin Santana, who had called for the closure of Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center. It can be read here.

 

Known as “The Boat,” he said it was perhaps the only floating jail in the country. An extension of Rikers Island, he said advocates equated it to a slave ship. “I know both The Boat and Rikers Island well, since I’ve been detained at both places, and I know they both deserve to be a chapter in the history books and not part of anyone’s present,” he said.