Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry service operating between New London, Connecticut and Orient, Long Island, New York. The service is privately owned and operated by Cross Sound Ferry Services, headquartered in New London.
Overview
Though there have been multiple proposals to bridge the sound at various points, there is currently no bridge, nor any active plans for a bridge east of the Throgs Neck Bridge, which connects the New York City boroughs of Queens and the Bronx. Therefore, Long Island motorists located east of that bridge must first drive west, cross one of the three city bridges to the mainland, and then drive east to reach most New England destinations. This circuitous route could, at the extreme, add as much as 200 miles to a trip to or from Long Island to New London and points north and east. In addition to the saving in mileage, use of the ferry or the other major Long Island-Connecticut ferry from Port Jefferson to Bridgeport, Connecticut avoids heavy urban traffic in New York City and on Interstate 95 in Connecticut.
The ferry serves over one million passengers annually, most of whom live on Long Island.
The company owns a fleet of seven vehicle-passenger ferries and a single high-speed, passenger-only ferry, the Sea Jet I. The fleet consists of both new build vessels and vessels retrofitted at sister company, Thames Shipyard and Repair in New London. The fleet has been added to and upgraded over the years to serve a surge in demand for service caused by a number of factors, including the growth of Long Island's population, congestion on all-highway routes and, more recently, the opening of gambling casinos near New London.
The ferries are the 'Cape Henlopen' (built 1943) the 'John H' (built 1989), the 'Mary Ellen' (built 1983), the 'Susan Anne' (built 1964), the 'New London' (built 1979), the 'Jennifer C.' (Built 1950), the 'North Star' (built 1968) and the 'Caribbean' (built 1972). The 'Caribbean' and the 'North Star' are the two smallest in the fleet, however, the North Star's public licence has since expired and is now only used for private services to Fisher's Island and Plum Island. The Caribbean, however, does still run, but it only runs in the summer.
Cross Sound Ferry has attempted to no avail to establish service between New London and the South Fork of Long Island in East Hampton. A local ordnance passed by the Town in 1997 prohibits vehicle ferry service within the Town's borders and places limits on the speeds of both passenger vessels and road vehicles. Cross Sound Ferry filed a lawsuit against the town in 2004 to overturn the ruling, which was eventually dismissed .
Controversy
Cross Sound Ferry has received criticism from towns on Long Island's north fork for causing increased vehicle traffic on New York State Route 25. The Orient terminal is located at the eastern terminus of Route 25, and in order to get there, travelers coming from points further west must travel through several towns, including Riverhead, Southold, and Greenport to get to the ferry terminal.
In 2006, the town of Southold filed a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court against Cross Sound Ferry. In the lawsuit, Southold says that Cross Sound Ferry was violating zoning laws by adding 3 vessels (including the Sea Jet) to the company's fleet since 1995, and creating safety hazards by allowing travelers to park along the shoulders of Route 25 and drive up and down the South Fork at high-speed. Southold town supervisor Scott Russell says people using the Sea Jet "Drive through town too fast, and come home broke."
The ferry company has also received criticism for their poor safety standards. In early 2003, the family of Michael Zuber filed a lawsuit against Cross Sound Ferry. Zuber was inside a semi-truck on board the Susan Anne on November 20, 2002 when it mysteriously rolled off the stern of the vessel, drowning Zuber. The Zuber family accused the ferry company of not securing the truck's back wheels with wheel chocks. The two sides eventually reached a $3.2 million settlement in 2008.
Cross Sound Ferry's aging fleet has resulted in numerous sailing cancellations due to vessels being constantly withdrawn from service for emergency repairs. During the summer of 2017, over 200 sailings were cancelled due to mechanical problems on board the company's vessels.
References
Citations
Sources
External links
- Cross Sound Ferry official website
