In November, a prison barge on the East River that for three decades housed 800 overflow inmates from Rikers Island was finally towed away. The hulk had sat empty since November 2023 but continued to loom over Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, the thriving food center where each day some 7 million pounds of fruits and vegetables, 2 million pounds of meat, and a million pounds of fish arrive to feed a hungry city.
City officials hope the departure of the prison barge will usher in a new era, one where barges begin plying the East River again, carrying some of this fish, produce and meat from Hunts Point to other points around the city for daily distribution using what they’re calling “blue highways.”
The new Blue Highways pilot program, a public-private partnership being overseen by the New York City Economic Development Corp. and the city’s Department of Transportation, will replace trucks with diesel-powered barges, creating an alternative for moving food around the city. According to the Blue Highways Action Plan released by the EDC, if the pilot is successful, the plan is to expand citywide. The EDC has identified more than 25 potential sites.