Tongass Narrows
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Tongass Narrows is a Y-shaped
channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
, part of
Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, often abbreviated to southeast or southeastern, and sometimes called the Alaska(n) panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian provi ...
's
Inside Passage The Inside Passage () is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeastern Alaska in the United St ...
. The waterway forms part of the
Alaska Marine Highway The Alaska Marine Highway (AMH) or the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is a ferry service operated by the U.S. state of Alaska. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska. The Alaska Marine Highway System operates along the south-central ...
and as such, is used by charter, commercial fishing, and recreational vessels, as well as commercial freight barges and tanks, kayaks and passenger ferries. A proposal to build the
Gravina Island Bridge The Gravina Island Bridge, commonly referred to as the "Bridge to Nowhere", was a proposed bridge to replace the Ketchikan International Airport Ferry, ferry that currently connects the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, United States, with Gravina Is ...
across the Tongass Narrows was shelved due to a national-level controversy over the "
bridge to nowhere A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads. If it is an overpass or an interchange, the term overpass to nowhere or interchange to nowhere may be used respectively. Origins Th ...
".


Geography

Tongass Narrows is defined as the water body that extends from the
Revillagigedo Channel Revillagigedo Channel (, , locally Revilla, ) is an ocean channel in the Alexander Archipelago of the U.S. state of Alaska. Extending 56 km (35 mi) northwest from the Dixon Entrance, it lies between the mainland to the east, Revillagiged ...
to the
Gravina Island Gravina Island is an island in the Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. It is long and about wide, with a land area of . The island had a population of 50 people at the 2000 census. The Spanish explorer Jaci ...
in
Clarence Strait Clarence Strait, originally Duke of Clarence Strait,''Statement ...
. It is shaped as a "Y", split into two channels by Pennock Island. At its northern end is
Clarence Strait Clarence Strait, originally Duke of Clarence Strait,''Statement ...
. In the southeast it extends from Nichols Passage to
Guard Island The Guard Island Light is a lighthouse on a small island near the entrance to the Tongass Narrows, in Clarence Strait in Alaska Panhandle, southeastern Alaska. The western entrance to the Behm Canal also lies nearby. History The lighthouse loc ...
. The eastern side is bounded by
Revillagigedo Island Revillagigedo Island (, , , locally Revilla, ) is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in Ketchikan Gateway Borough of the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. Running about 89 km (50 mi) north-south and 48 km (35 ...
and the west by
Gravina Island Gravina Island is an island in the Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. It is long and about wide, with a land area of . The island had a population of 50 people at the 2000 census. The Spanish explorer Jaci ...
. The eastern side of the narrows includes the cities of Saxman and
Ketchikan Ketchikan ( ; ) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough on Revillagigedo Island of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic Landmark District. With a po ...
.
Ketchikan International Airport Ketchikan International Airport is a state-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) west of the central business district of Ketchikan, Alaska, Ketchikan, a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, Ketchikan Gatewa ...
is located on Gravina Island. The channel extends in a generally northwest direction for about . About westward of East Clump islet, the width of Tongass Narrows is , the shoal water on the north side extending out from the high-water mark. In mid-channel, the depth is from 15 to 26 fathoms (). The north shore of Tongass Narrows is steep and heavily wooded. The south shores are low, flat, and wooded, with occasional open ground for back, where the land rises to the California Ridge. The Tongass Narrows is part of the Alaska Marine Highway system. Many types of vessels operate on the channel, such as charter, commercial fishing, and recreational vessels, as well as commercial freight barges and tanks, kayaks and passenger ferries. There is also extensive
floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
traffic on the Narrows, as Ketchikan is the regional center for air transportation to isolated communities.About Ketchikan, Alaska
Allen Marine Tours
Maritime restrictions are most prevalent around Clam Cove (West Channel), Idaho Rock to the Coast Guard Base (East Channel), and Danger Island to Bar Harbor (North Channel). The geological formation of "green stone
schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...
,
Paleozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...
" is noted on the narrows near
Ketchikan Ketchikan ( ; ) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough on Revillagigedo Island of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic Landmark District. With a po ...
on its eastern side and also on the Gravina Island.


Fauna

Some of the marine fauna noted in the Tongass are whales, sea lions, and herring in large numbers apart from salmon fishing near Ketchikan. Occasionally black bears have been seen foraging in garbage bins in the town.


Gravina Island Bridge proposal

The
Gravina Island Bridge The Gravina Island Bridge, commonly referred to as the "Bridge to Nowhere", was a proposed bridge to replace the Ketchikan International Airport Ferry, ferry that currently connects the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, United States, with Gravina Is ...
proposal, was a plan to build a highway bridge across the Tongass Narrows from Revillagigedo Island to Gravina Island. It became the subject of national controversy as critics called the plan a "bridge to nowhere" while attacking its proposed cost of $320 million. The bridge, which would have replaced a ferry that connects Ketchikan to its major airport, has not been built.


Events

One of the marine events held here by the Ketchikan Yacht Club in summer season every Wednesday night and on occasions during weekends is the sailboat
regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
. The Christmas Boat Parade and the Pennock Island Swim also known as The Pennock Island Challenge are two other notable events. A fireworks display is held in a defined safety zone at the site of the barge.


References

;Bibliography * *


External links


Tongass Narrows
at
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{{Coord, 55.32333, -131.61611, display=title Bodies of water of Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska Ketchikan, Alaska Straits of Alaska