Albion Ferries
OverviewAt 1200 on July 31, 2009, the Albion Ferries will make their final crossing of the Fraser River between Fort Langley and Maple Ridge. This will end over 52 years of ferry service between the two landings. On June 3, 1957 the first crossing took place with much fanfare in the communities on both sides of the river. As early as 1919, residents had petitioned the government to provide a ferry crossing but it took nearly 40 years for any action to be taken. A bridge built further upriver between Agasiz and Rosedale freed up the ferry T'Lagunna which inagurated the service and operated it alone until 1978. According to ferry historian Frank Clapp, the ferry was tolled until 1972. With its removal, the route became much more popular. In 1978, the Ministry of Transportation and Highways added the Klatawa to the route to increase capacity. In 1985, the Kuleet replaced the T'Lagunna. In 1999, the Albion ferry route was transferred from the Ministry of Transportation and Highways to become a subsidiary of Translink under the operation of Fraser River Marine Transportation Ltd. In 2005, an agreement was reached to build the Golden Ears Bridge, a six-lane highway connection between Maple Ridge and Langley. It was completed in the spring of 2009 and opened to traffic on June 16. This new connection between the two communities has made the Albion ferry dispensable and they will sail for the final time at noon on July 31, 2009. The Klatawa and Kulleet have both been sold. Few details have been released, however both ships will remain in British Columbia. To read an article about this story in the Province newspaper, click here.Under ConstructionAdditional information and photographs will be added to this webpage in the near future.
For Further Reading
|