The Usk Ferry is a

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

across the

Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose n ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. It is situated about north-east of

Terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

at Usk. Technically, the ferry is a

reaction ferry A reaction ferry is a cable ferry that uses the reaction of the current of a river against a fixed tether to propel the vessel across the water. Such ferries operate faster and more effectively in rivers with strong currents. Some reaction ferr ...

, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of the river, and a "traveler" is installed on the cable. The ferry is attached to the traveler by a bridle cable. To operate the ferry, either the right or left bridle cable is tightened to angle the pontoons into the current, causing the force of the current to move the ferry across the river. The ferry operates under contract to the

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is the British Columbia government ministry responsible for transport infrastructure and law in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is currently led by Rob Fleming. The ministry is re ...

, is free of tolls, and runs on demand between 0645 and 2315with some gaps in service. It carries a maximum of 2 cars and 12 passengers at a time. The crossing is about in length, and takes 5–7 minutes. At times of low water, or ice in the river, the ferry is replaced by an

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

that carries passengers only.

References

Ferries of British Columbia Cable ferries in Canada {{BritishColumbia-transport-stub

See also

References