FREDERICTON – Safety problems with the Gagetown cable ferry has halted its service, potentially forever.
The ferry runs between Gagetown and Lower Jemseg along the Saint John River. Its normal schedule is to run 24 hours a day, year-round.
The ferry has been out of service for four weeks after a safety inspection resulted in the ferry being deemed unsafe.
“There’s a situation where we have to inspect and make sure that our ferries are meeting national standards of safety levels,” said Transportation Minister Roger Melanson.
“In this situation we have done a routine inspection and have realized we have to do more work, that’s why we had to take this ferry out of the water.”
Melanson said they are doing an inspection and analysis of the ferry, but couldn’t give reporters a timeline as to when or if the ferry would run again.
“Based on the fact that we don’t know what the cost would be and what are the issues in regards to this ferry,” he said.
Ross Wetmore, the MLA for Gagetown-Petitcodiac, said an inspector came to see the ferry a month ago but the inspection should have been done months ago.
“Why wouldn’t they take the Gagetown ferry in for inspection back in the fall when they had the opportunity,” he asked. “We feel in the village of Gagetown that this is just a way to say the ferry is not safe and we’re going to take it.”
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