Prescott proposes car-free ferry service to upstate New York
Was connected to Ogdensburg, N.Y., by ferry until 1960s when bridge went up
The mayor of Prescott, Ont., is hoping plans for a car-free ferry between his town and its New York state neighbour will cast off this summer.
Prescott was previously linked by a ferry across the St. Lawrence River to Ogdensburg, N.Y., until the construction of a bridge in the 1960s.
As Mayor Brent Todd told CBC Radio's All In A Day, ferry service is a big part of the region's history.
"It has been a very important connecting link going back well over a century," Todd said this week. "My parents actually met on that ferry back in the 1950s. My mother was from Ogdensburg and my father from Prescott."
Todd travelled to Ogdensburg last year, and a team from the American community came and spoke to his council in December.
He said they're moving the idea forward, and hopes the ferry — which would not carry cars — could boost cycling tourism and generally bring the two communities closer together.
"We have got a lot to build on and a lot to attract people," Todd said. "And we think this will be just a great addition."
Pilot project
Todd said both communities are talking to their respective border agencies, in the hopes of getting a multi-week pilot project approved for a few weeks this summer.
That project would likely operate in late July and early August.
Crossing the river would take just a few minutes, and Todd said he believes ferry riders would enjoy the experience.
"You can't grow in a border town like ours without those deep connections to the United States," he said.