September 30, 2026 — Tucked along a corner of the New Bedford State Pier’s East Wharf is a small ferry, the lifeline for a windswept island in Buzzards Bay.
The Cuttyhunk Ferry not only delivers passengers to and from the island of the same name throughout the year, but supplies too.
“We were there for 20-plus years … everybody knew to go right there,” Jono Billings, the ferry’s longtime operator, told The Light, pointing to the State Pier’s now-empty South Wharf.
Then, late last year, state officials found the century-old wooden pier had major structural issues and closed sections of it. The ferry, along with other businesses, had to leave parts of the pier’s East and South wharves.
It’s only the most recent closure along the dilapidated State Pier, built in 1913. A portion of the North Wharf has been closed since 2019. While the multimillion dollar repairs there could start later this year, only a portion of the dock is left available for use.
The mostly-closed state asset sits in an otherwise heavily-invested-in port. City officials have facilitated over $1 billion in funds to build, repair and expand maritime infrastructure since 2014, Mayor Jon Mitchell told The Light.
“The biggest thing going here is what we’re doing on the water,” Mitchell said of the city.