NYCEDC and Con Agg Global Announce New Blue Highway Facility in Hunts Point in the Bronx
Con Agg Global to Create New Blue Highway Facility with Backing from Equity Partners BDT & MSD Partners and Support from Shareholder William (Bill) J. Sandbrook
Facility Aims to Support Food and Beverage Distribution, Serving Fulton Fish Market and Larger Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, as well as Construction Projects in the Bronx
Facility to Begin Operating in 2025, and Builds on City’s Blue Highways Initiative to Reduce Congestion and Support Safer and More Environmentally Friendly Deliveries to Revitalize Waterways and Communities
Facility Expected to Remove Approximately 1,000 Truck Trips per Month in the South Bronx
THE BRONX, NY—New York City Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrion Jr., the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), and Con Agg Global (CAG) announced a new waterside transloading facility to be located adjacent to the Fulton Fish Market hub in the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, one of New York State’s busiest trucking destinations. This initial facility, which is expected to remove approximately 1,000 truck trips per month in the South Bronx, is set to begin operations this year. A permanent facility, which will be seeking final sourcing and additional approvals—including from the New York City Council—and would replace the initial design, will primarily be used for the waterborne movement of wholesale food and beverage and will provide significantly enhanced capabilities. This permanent design would accommodate several other vertical commodity streams such as micro-freight—heavy duty cargo trikes and quads paired with small barges and freight ferries—as well as bulk—such as aggregate, both of which help mitigate roadway congestion in and out of the Hunts Point peninsula.
The permanent Con Agg Global facility would feature an inland standard barge with modular pier design that will allow for rapid deployment, high capacity, and flexibility to adjust the design and layout based on evolving market demands for freight. The design is commonly deployed in Europe and was used during construction projects at Governors Island and JFK Airport. The facility will primarily transport wholesale food and beverage via barge and freight ferry. This will allow for reduced daily truck trips to and from the South Bronx, and throughout New York City, increasing moving goods via barge and fast boat from Hunts Point to other New York City terminals, like the Downtown Skyport.
The project is supported financially in conjunction with Con Agg Global’s equity shareholder BDT & MSD Partners. Con Agg Global has expanded the partnership group to include William (Bill) J. Sandbrook, providing them with significant management expertise, decades of experience, and substantial capital to expand operations in the future.
“For hundreds of years, New York City’s waterways have connected communities, carried vital goods, and powered our economy. With our “Blue Highways” initiative, we are writing the next chapter of these historic rivers and setting our city up for the future,” said New York City Mayor Adams. “This new facility will help support those efforts, moving more freight off our roads and onto our rivers. From good-paying jobs to fewer emissions, this facility will help build a stronger, more sustainable New York City, not only later this year, but for decades to come.”
“The Adams administration is continuing to leverage our city’s waterways, facilitate investment, and advance a high-impact Blue Highway network to move goods and get trucks off the road,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr. “NYCEDC and Con Agg’s facility represents an important first step, which we will build on at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, Downtown Skyport, and other locations to serve Hunts Point, eliminate thousands of trucks from the South Bronx, and keep New York City’s supply chain and economy resilient.”
“This partnership with Con Agg Global will allow NYC to harness our waterways for freight transportation, reduce truck traffic and unlock a new model of public-private partnership in the modernization and expansion of sustainable last-mile deliveries throughout New York City and beyond,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “This facility will build on the “Blue Highways” initiative, which is one of NYCEDC’s key priorities and we look forward to working with our partners as we continue to expand the city’s use of its waterways for the transportation of goods.”
“The continuous flow of fresh, quality food products help to sustain communities and is crucial to maintaining food security and affordability,” said Con Agg Global CEO Paul Granito. “This partnership is a critical tool in revitalizing communities in the Bronx and throughout New York City, and we are thrilled to serve as a strategic and essential partner to NYCEDC.”
“The work that Con Agg Global has accomplished and is poised to support through this partnership with NYCEDC will mark a pivotal moment for the communities of New York City,” said William Sandbrook, former Chairman and CEO at U.S. Concrete. “The opportunity to facilitate freight transportation of construction materials will drive extraordinary momentum in economic development.”
“Much of my life’s work has focused on building a better future for the South Bronx,” said Con Agg Global Chairman & Shareholder Jim Granito. “This partnership is an extension and continuation of these important and necessary efforts to foster community engagement and development through smart, sustainable initiatives.”
“We are thrilled to continue the work that Con Agg Global has accomplished throughout the Bronx and to extend the impact of these efforts to other communities in the metro area,” said Marco Battaglia and Stefan Hunger, Partners and Shareholders at Con Agg Global.
“We are going back to our roots with a port facility in our backyard, making a connection from our waterways to our community and local partners, and in service to our City,” said Fulton Fish Market Cooperative CEO Nicole Ackerina. “This is one of several projects and partnerships being implemented at the Fulton Fish Market that will revamp and green our supply chain, not just for the market but for the greater Hunts Point Peninsula. This collaboration is an example of public private partnership at its best.”
By utilizing marine transportation, the facility will greatly reduce the need for trucks for material and food & beverage transportation to and from the Bronx in an environmental justice area. Removing trucks from the road will greatly reduce traffic congestion in the local community and the Greater New York region, along with fuel consumption and regional greenhouse gas emissions.
Today’s announcement will build on the “Blue Highways” initiative, a joint project between NYCDOT and NYCEDC dedicated to promoting the use of NYC’s waterways for transporting goods in and around the city. With these efforts, we can reduce our overreliance on trucks, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality which in turn will result in a decrease wear and tear on roadways, alleviate supply chain bottlenecks, and move goods more quickly from ships to shelves. This initiative aligns with the city’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while increasing transportation resiliency and redundancy, making New York City better equipped to receive goods during times of emergency or disaster.
“As our city grows so does the prevalence of trucks, bringing everything from produce to our restaurants to online purchases to our doorsteps,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth. “Our blue highways are a critical component of our efforts to reduce the impact of all this truck traffic on our highways and local communities. I am deeply grateful to Con Agg and EDC for this first-of-its-kind partnership, and optimistic that there are many more on the horizon.”
“When we move freight off trucks and onto waterways, we’re not only improving the quality of life for our neighborhoods, we’re also achieving a PlaNYC initiative,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “Hunt Points is an environmental justice neighborhood with some of the highest levels of black carbon and PM2.5, tiny pollution particles that are linked to asthma, heart problems, and lung cancer, so cutting congestion into the neighborhood can lead to better health for residents.”
“The launch of this new waterside transloading facility marks a major step forward for Hunts Point and the entire South Bronx. By shifting freight movement from our overcrowded roads to our underutilized waterways, we are easing congestion, improving air quality, and protecting the health of our communities, especially in neighborhoods that have been disproportionately impacted by truck traffic,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. “I applaud Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrión Jr., NYCEDC, and Con Agg Global for investing in innovative infrastructure that supports both our economy and our environment. This project is a model for how we can build a more sustainable and resilient freight system that serves New Yorkers now and into the future.”
“Like so many born and raised in the South Bronx, I know firsthand how vital the Hunts Point industrial area is to Bronxites and New Yorkers as a whole,’ stated Council Member Rafael Salamanca. “As the son of a Local 202 Teamster at the Hunts Point Produce Market, Hunts Point provided a future for my family and I. The heavy industrial trucks that barrel in and out of Hunts Point each day also left another lasting impact on my life—a lifelong battle with asthma caused by truck pollution. Throughout my time in public service, first as a District Manager for Bronx Community Board Two, and now as a Council Member, I have worked tirelessly to create a more environmentally sustainable and resilient Hunts Point community. That work has culminated in today’s historic announcement of a new “Blue Highways” facility in Hunts Point that will remove thousands upon thousands of trucks off our streets by utilizing our rivers and waterways for transporting goods. I thank the Adams Administration and Con Agg Global for making this private-public partnership possible, and look forward to continuing to carry out the initiatives that will make the South Bronx a healthier place to live and work.”
“The Community Board was proud to participate in the design and layout of Hunts Point Blue Highway waterside transloading facility located in the Fulton Fish Market,” said Bronx Community Board 2 District Manager Ralph Acevedo. “Any mode to mitigate daily truck trips in the District should always be considered. The Board looks forward to working with the Fish Market, Con Agg, and our local non-profits in developing this waterway as a means of transporting goods in and out of Hunts Point.”
“For over three decades, The POINT has loudly and consistently advocated for use of our waterways to move food and other commodities distributed by Hunts Point wholesalers,” said The Point CDC President & COO Maria Torres. “We are a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water, cut off from the mainland by an eight lane highway, and besieged by more than 16,000 trucks each work day. Turning to the waterfront to meet our basic transportation needs and mitigate some of the worst impacts of traffic congestion in our area is not only smart and just policy but it is consistent with the long history of our community, which was first written at the water’s edge.”
“Hunts Point is a waterfront community and from time immemorial its fortunes have been tied to people and goods moving among the rivers, LI Sound and NY Harbor,” said Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Executive Director Don Eversley. “As a veteran of short-sea shipping initiatives in three States, I applaud the Fulton Fish Market’s leadership in re-activating our waterways for freight and reducing our reliance on the diesel trucks that ply our neighborhood streets and highways.”
In June 2022, the Hunts Point Forward plan was released to create economic opportunity and improve quality of life for New Yorkers in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the South Bronx. The plan outlines a 15-year vision shared by the city and the community with more than 70 short- and long-term recommendations for creating family-sustaining jobs, improving public safety, enhancing community health and access to healthy food, promoting environmental justice, and delivering upgrades to open space, transportation, and other key community infrastructure.
Today’s announcement builds on the Adams administration’s broader strategy to develop the Harbor of the Future—a reimagined, East River-connected network of innovation and growth. The Harbor of the Future includes emerging innovation centers at the Hunts Point Produce Market, Governors Island, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a modern all-electric port at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, and a redeveloped Downtown Skyport including a Blue Highway barge landing. The Harbor of the Future also includes other major waterfront economic development projects including the Science Park and Research Campus in Kips Bay, the North Shore of Staten Island, as well as the citywide Green Economy Action Plan to position New Yorks to benefit from nearly 400,000 “green collar” jobs by 2040 through initiatives such as the “Climate Innovation Hub” at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park.
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About Con Agg Global
Con Agg Global is a Bronx-based conglomerate dedicated to sustainable material manufacturing and eco-friendly distribution solutions, fostering community engagement and environmental stewardship.
