Staten Island aqua travel shouldn't seem so unique for that much longer.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced the start of expanded ferry service to the outer boroughs this morning - a pillar of Quinn's State of the City address [1] in February - which will start with service in the Rockaways then expand to North Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

The two-year pilot project for the Rockaways is funded by $1.1 million from Councilmember Joseph Addabbo's discretionary funds.

Forget about the obnoxious waits of the infamous G line or the shadowy subterranean travel of the subway system, because the service could spread even more.

Other New Yorkers could end up seeing ferry service in their neighborhoods, since the City Council allocated $500,000 for an "in depth" study to investigate other potential sites. The study will be done by outside consultants and city agencies and it will look into the following areas: Riverdale, Orchard Beach, Ferry Point, Soundview and Hunts Point in the Bronx; LaGuardia Airport and Astoria in Queens; Bay Ridge, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn; and 125th Street, East 20th Street, East 75th Street and East 90th Street in Manhattan.

So far environmental advocates have hailed the project. Here is a commentary [2] we had from the New York League of Conservation Voters after Quinn announced the expansion earlier this year.

You can get the mayor's full release here [3].