PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A ferry will soon take passengers from Cathedral Park to RiverPlace in downtown Portland.
The ferry plan was launched by Susan Bladholm in late 2018 and builds on earlier proposals to convert the Willamette River into a transit corridor. On Tuesday, they announced they have enough funding to launch a 24-month pilot program in summer 2022.
The Frog Ferry has the capacity for 70 passengers and will take commuters from Cathedral Park to RiverPlace in downtown Portland. The trip is about 25 minutes. They hope to add stops along the way and on weekends.
Tickets cost $3 each way and $2 for honored citizens.
Originally the ferry hoped to take passengers from Vancouver, however, parking and other state line issues came up.
Frog Ferry
The City of Portland will sponsor their application for $3.3 million of federal funding for the pilot project and ODOT has awarded them a $500,000 Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund Grant.
Friends of Frog Ferry say they could take up to 600 cars off the roads during the heavy commute hours. The ferry runs on renewable diesel and they hope to have an all electric fleet eventually.
The total cost for the three-year pilot project is $9.4 million for planning, mobilization and operation. While some funding has been found, the Friends of Frog Ferry are still looking for more.