For members of the public looking to visit Ellis Island, there's only one way to get there: by ferry from lower Manhattan. But National Park Service employees have another option: a quarter-mile-long bridge from Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

Now, Jersey City's mayor want to open that span up to visitors.

NJ Advance Media reporter Rob Jennings said the proposal goes back to the 1990s, and is now being revived by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop because the park service is planning to replace the aging bridge. But he says the idea is facing opposition from New York City officials, who would have to give up their monopoly on access to the island if such a proposal goes through. They argue that tourists should arrive on Ellis Island the same way immigrants did: by boat.

"The counter-argument to that is that people who arrived at Ellis Island arrived on boats that were not especially comfortable, and certainly the ferry that takes you there is a much different experience today," Jennings told WNYC's Richard Hake.

For the full conversation, click "Listen."