By Seth Daniel
One of the most highly anticipated events of the summer in the Navy Yard will be the move of the MBTA commuter ferry back to Pier 4, and officials said it will happen sooner rather than later.
At its last Board meeting on June 9, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) approved a contract for $228,000 to Semper Diving and Marine of Charlestown to move the dock and ferry landing from its home on Pier 3 back to where it was once located many years ago on Pier 4.
The move was advocated by a very active group in the Flagship Wharf building that lobbied elected officials and BRA officials to get the more convenient setup. It had been requested for many years without success until Mayor Martin Walsh made the official announcement last winter.
“We’d like to have this all done by mid-July,” said Rich McGuinness of the BRA. “It’s not a really big project. It should be done in a weekend.”
The work includes removal of existing mooring piles, dismantling the main floats, gangways, bow loading dock and fixtures. Then, relocating the gangways and floats into their new location on Pier 4. They will install six mooring piles, install new chain and other fixtures.
A brief Chapter 91 Waterways license process is currently underway with a comment period ending on July 8.