Mess transit 2.0: Greenpoint ferry landing closes again

Someone got the Sunday Scaries!

The city closed the Greenpoint ferry stop Sunday evening due to a “mechanical issue,” according to officials in charge of the maritime transit system.

“Due to a mechanical issue, service to the Greenpoint ferry landing is currently suspended until further notice,” read the May 23 statement by the Economic Development Corporation. “During this time, all ferry service on the East River route will bypass the Greenpoint landing in both directions.”

Service Alert – East River Route – Landing Closure – 5-23-21 / 9:20 PM: Please visit https://t.co/VZ1jGKsJ5l for more details.

— NYC Ferry (@NYCferry) May 24, 2021

It is currently unclear when the heavily-subsidized vessels will return to the north Brooklyn berth at India and West streets.

The pier closed after a captain discovered a problem with one of its piles, and the jetty’s private landowner is working to fix the issue, according to an EDC spokesman.

“On Sunday evening, service was suspended to the Greenpoint landing after a captain noticed an issue with one of the pier piles,” said Christopher Singleton in a statement. “[Monday], the landing and piles were removed from the site to be inspected. At this time, the Greenpoint landing remains out of service in both directions.”

The agency has launched a free shuttle bus starting 6:30 am Monday to bring passengers to the next landing at Hunters Point South in Queens, according to Singleton.

Multinational developer Lendlease owns the waterfront lot including the pier. The company referred a request for comment to EDC, but the agency rep said the landlord is examining the dock’s infrastructure and will provide a timeline for repairs next week.

Sunday’s sudden closure is not a first for the troubled dock.

Last October the stop was on a 36-hour hiatus because the jetty’s new private owner at the time cut off access to the municipal boats.

In an unforgettable moment caught on video during that closure, stranded straphangers watched as ferries passed them by and a deckhand shouted about the service suspension from aboard the vessel.

Greenpoint @NYCferry stop out of commission ‘indefinitely’ bc the developer sold the property. This isn’t how public transit functions.

And here’s how commuters are being notified this morning: from a boat operater calling out to people as the ferry goes by. Seriously @NYCEDC? pic.twitter.com/KNU7QQdy83

— Elizabeth Adams 🌱🚲🚇✊ (@ElizabAdams) October 19, 2020

Greenpoint ferry commuters have had to deal with snafus at the stop for years, including routine flooding of the access way on India Street forcing commuters to build makeshift bridges using construction barriers in order to get to dry land.

With the north Brooklyn stop out of action, three out of the borough’s nine landings for the ferry system are closed as EDC continues its $11.4 million renovations at the South Williamsburg and Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 stops further south, which are slated to wrap some time between the end of May and mid-June.

The closure of three stops will make for a faster trip for the those lucky enough to catch a boat at the remaining open ports-of-call, noted one transit advocate on social media.

“And with two other docks out of commissions the East River route is becoming verrrry express for some folks,” wrote Transportation Alternatives spokesman Cory Epstein on Twitter.