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The infamous “floating jail” moored off Hunts Point is finally being sent downriver. The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, known to many simply as “The Barge,” will be removed from the Bronx waterfront, clearing the way for a major new infrastructure project: the Hunts Point Marine Terminal.
Mayor Eric Adams announced the plans on Monday at a press conference near the site, calling the project part of his administration’s broader “Blue Highways” initiative. The initiative aims to shift freight delivery away from diesel-guzzling trucks and toward marine and electric transport, using the city’s waterways to cut emissions and ease street congestion.
“This is lowering emissions, bringing jobs and creating a vibrant community here in the Bronx by boosting economic output,” Adams said, standing near a rendering of the future terminal.
The floating jail, opened in 1992 as a stopgap for Rikers Island overcrowding, was only meant to be temporary. Instead, it operated for more than 30 years, housing up to 800 detainees at its peak. The barge was decommissioned in 2023, but it remained docked until now. Its removal marks a milestone in the city’s long-term decarceration efforts and in the transformation of South Bronx infrastructure.
According to the city’s Economic Development Corporation, the new terminal will generate roughly 400 construction jobs, 100 permanent jobs and $3.9 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years. It’s expected to remove 9,000 truck trips from city streets each month, particularly from communities like the South Bronx, which have long borne the brunt of traffic-related pollution.
“The vision to transform the decommissioned Vernon C. Bain Center into the Hunts Point Marine Terminal will usher in a new era for this site that will result in not only a new ‘Blue Highways’ facility, but bring waterfront access, greenway improvements, and much-needed good-paying jobs for the Hunts Point community,” said NYCEDC president and CEO Andrew Kimball.
The marine terminal is currently entering the design and planning phase. NYCEDC will also begin environmental remediation of the land, which is expected to be finished by 2027.
The terminal will serve as a key node in the city’s growing Blue Highways network, including the Brooklyn Marine Terminal and other proposed waterfront logistics hubs. For Hunts Point, the change signals a long-overdue shift—from isolation and incarceration to jobs, investment and cleaner air.