The piers of the Manhattan cruise terminal could extend significantly further into the Hudson River some day. Preliminary plans for an upgraded facility call for a 650-foot extension, adding about 60% to the length of the current 1,000 foot piers.

The new preliminary proposal was presented by New York City’s Economic Development Corporation to Manhattan Community Board Four’s Waterfront, Parks, and Environment Committee last Thursday night. The EDC is seeking community support for the project which must first go through a congressional legislative process to allow for the extended piers to impinge on the river’s federal navigation channel.

Rendering’s shared by the EDC with the committee show Piers 88 and 92 extending further into the river. The extensions are partly comprised of longer pier structures and partly of connected dolphins with anchoring points. Using the dolphins will reduce the amount of additional water coverage the project will create, which could make eventual environmental approval easier.

The plan also appears to eliminate pier 90, which would further offset river coverage increases caused by the lengthening of Piers 88 and 92.  In addition to maintaining three berths for cruise ships, the plans show accommodation for smaller vessels and “blue highway” uses on the north side of Pier 92, which is currently structurally unstable and in need of restoration.

The EDC says that extending the piers will allow for increasing the marginal waterfront area to allow for better traffic circulation and infrastructure improvements, including shore power machinery. It will also allow the facility to accommodate some of the longer cruise ships now being developed. 

The plans are preliminary and this is not yet the full fledged 30-year blueprint for the cruise terminal that the city has promised to deliver this year. The need for outreach at this early stage stems from the timetable of the Water Resources Development Act, a bi-annual congressional process that requires action by local electeds in the coming weeks to ensure that permission to alienate part of the navigation channel is included in legislation that will be passed in late 2026. Missing this window would mean the city would have to wait until 2028 to begin planning.

The EDC is now working to gather community support and consulting with recreational and commercial boating/shipping groups. A navigation safety study is also in process under supervision of the Coast Guard.

If approval to extend into the channel is included in the 2026 WRDA legislation, the plans will still have to move through a standard environmental planning process, including approval of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. That process would begin after the WRDA legislation passes.