Cross Sound Ferry

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Cross Sound Ferry's New London terminus, and New London skyline, viewed from across the Thames River

Cross Sound Ferry is a year-round passenger and vehicle ferry boat service based in New London, Connecticut, which provides transport to and from New London and Orient Point, New York, crossing Long Island Sound. It thus bridges New England and Long Island, cutting off several hundred miles of driving for over 1 million people per year.

The company owns a fleet of seven vehicle-passenger ferries and a single high-speed, passenger-only ferry, known as Sea Jet 1. Most of the ferries were not built exclusively for Cross Sound Ferry, having held previous services before being obtained and retrofitted (primarily at Thames Shipyard and Repair Company in New London, Connecticut) to serve a surge in demand in recent years .

Cross Sound Ferry is seeking to offer ferry service from Napeague State Park on the South Fork to Connecticut. East Hampton (town), New York on the South Fork has so far successfully fought the proposal.

Additionally, Cross Sound Ferry has requested to expand their property in Southold, New York on the North Fork to add additional parking spaces adjacent to their orient terminal, but the town zoning board did not approve the application because the company has previously violated zoning laws for over a decade. Furthermore, the town is considering legislation, similar to legislation enacted in Easthampton, to limit, and perhaps remove altogether, the company's operations of ferries there. This has been instigated, in part, by Cross Sound Ferry's ballooning growth in recent years. Much of this growth is attributable to (among other things like growing tourism) promotions by two large casino companies in Connecticut, where residents on Long Island have demanded transport to and from.

This expansion has, in effect, transformed Southold's local roads into high-speed thoroughfares leading to and from Cross Sound Ferry's Orient terminal, adversely impacting the designated scenic routes. Southold's traffic, safety, environment and quality of life have evidently been continually exacerbated as a result of this congestion. The town is seeking to have the NY Department of Transportation regulate parking along the road leading to the terminus, because Cross Sound Ferry's parking facilities are not able to handle the massive number of passengers who park along the state road leading up to a mile west of the ferry.