Prescott proposes car-free ferry service to upstate New York

The mayor of Prescott, Ont., is hoping plans for acar-free ferry between his town and its New York state neighbour will cast off this summer.

Prescott was previously linkedby a ferry across the St. Lawrence River toOgdensburg, N.Y., until the construction of a bridge in the 1960s.

As Mayor Brent Todd told CBC Radio's All In A Day, ferryservice 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 Americancommunity 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

Toddsaid both communities are talking to their respective border agencies, in the hopes of getting amulti-week pilot project approved for a few weeks this summer.

That project would likely operatein late July and early August.

Crossing the river would take just a few minutes, andTodd said he believes ferry riderswould enjoy the experience.

"You can't grow in a border town like ours without those deep connections to the United States," he said.