NYC's floating jail to be scrapped for parts down in Louisiana

"The EDC made a deal with the company Louisiana Scrap Metal Recycling to dismantle the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, a 625-foot-long prison barge that served as an overflow for Rikers Island until it was decommissioned in 2023. Later this fall, the company will tug it from Hunts Point to the company's facility in Gibson, Louisiana, where it will be dismantled and sold to steel mills and metal factories in the region. The company agreed to pay New York City $1.5 million for the scrap."

"Once the barge leaves town, the city aims to transform the area of Hunts Point into a marine terminal that will handle freight from barges and boats traveling through the East River. The planned terminal is part of the city's "Blue Highways" initiative, which seeks to remove 9,000 monthly truck trips from the city's streets by moving cargo on waterways instead of roadways. The EDC plans to use the hub as a staging area for small electric vehicles to make deliveries in the Bronx."

""From clearing out an old prison barge to creating a new marine terminal, our administration is turning the page on Hunts Point and creating a cleaner, brighter future for the Bronx," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. "With this new terminal, we'll unload cargo from all across the world for delivery throughout the city and put even more New Yorkers to work in vibrant industries.""

The Economic Development Corporation contracted Louisiana Scrap Metal Recycling to dismantle the 625-foot Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, decommissioned in 2023, and tow it to Gibson, Louisiana, for scrapping and sale to regional steel mills and metal factories for $1.5 million. After the barge departs, Hunts Point will be redeveloped into a marine terminal to receive freight from barges and boats on the East River. The terminal is part of the Blue Highways initiative to shift cargo to waterways, reduce about 9,000 monthly truck trips, and use the site as a staging area for small electric delivery vehicles. A temporary barge dock was installed earlier this year. The floating jail originally opened in 1992 as an 800-bed facility with a $161 million construction cost.

Read at Gothamist