Howard Landing Ferry

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Howard Landing Ferry Howard Landing Ferry.jpeg
Howard Landing Ferry

The Howard Landing Ferry (also called J-Mac, J-Mack Ferry, Steamboat Slough Ferry, or Grand Island Ferry) is a cable ferry that operates between Ryde and Ryer Island, crossing Steamboat Slough in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in Solano County, California. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) operates the vehicle roll-on/roll-off service, which is classified as part of California State Route 220. [1] The free ferry service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Boat operators are on duty 24 hours a day to provide service to individual passengers and motorists crossing Steamboat Slough. [2]

The ferry is served by the vessel J-Mack (or J-Mac), a 92 ft × 32 ft (28.0 m × 9.8 m) cable drawn ferry that can carry up to six vehicles. Because Steamboat Slough is an active shipping channel, the cable normally sits about 18 feet (5.5 m) underneath the water when the ferry is docked. [1] [2] There is a 15-ton weight limit, tractor-trailers are prohibited, and the length limit is at the discretion of the Coast Guard. [3]

Ryer Island is also connected via Highway 84 to the southwest via the Ryer Island Ferry towards Rio Vista, and north via a bridge towards West Sacramento. Both the Howard Landing Ferry and the Ryer Island Ferry are the only state-run ferries, and there are no plans to replace them with bridges due to the low traffic numbers around Ryer Island. [1]

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The Ryer Island Ferry is a ferry that operates between Rio Vista and Ryer Island, crossing Cache Slough in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta in Solano County, California. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) operates the vehicle roll-on/roll-off service, which is classified as part of California State Route 84. The free ferry service operates operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, leaving every 20 minutes; on the hour, 20 minutes after the hour, and 40 minutes after the hour.

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<i>Real McCoy</i> (ferry)

The Real McCoy was a ferryboat that operated for 63 years from Rio Vista, California on the Ryer Island Ferry route as part of California State Route 84, and was the oldest and most reliable piece of equipment owned by the California Department of Transportation. During its operating life – making the trip 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and roughly 200 trips a day – totaling approximately 460,000 safe passages over the 800 foot gap in the Sacramento River delta, between Ryer Island and Rio Vista.

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Steamboat Slough is an alternate branch of the Sacramento River, named for its popular use by steamboats traveling between San Francisco and Sacramento. Its mouth is found at an elevation of 3 feet (0.9 m), 2 miles (3 km) above Rio Vista, between Grand Island and Ryer Island. Its head is 11 miles (18 km) above where it leaves the Sacramento River, between Sutter Island and Grand Island, at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m) at 38°18′17″N121°34′25″W.

The Real McCoy II is a ferryboat that has operated since 2011 from Rio Vista, California on the Ryer Island Ferry route as part of California State Route 84, operated by the California Department of Transportation. It replaced the original Real McCoy in 2011. It operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, three trips per hour, over the 800 foot gap in California State Route 84 in the Sacramento River delta, between Ryer Island and Rio Vista. Real McCoy II is 88 feet long by 38 feet wide, has a capacity of 80,000 pounds, and can carry up to ten vehicles. There is a 16.25-ton weight limit, tractor-trailers are prohibited, and the length limit is at the discretion of the Coast Guard.

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Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel also called the Baldwin-Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel or Stockton Deep Water Channel is a manmade deepwater water channel that runs from Suisun Bay and the Sacramento River - Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel to the Port of Stockton and the Stockton Channel in California. The Stockton Ship Channel is 41 mi (66 km) long and about 37 ft (11 m) deep, allowing up to Panama Canal size ocean ships access to the Port of Stockton at the City of Stockton. The Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel is part of the vast Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta that has a connection to the Pacific Ocean. Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel is also called the lower San Joaquin River.

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The Empire Tract is an island in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta in San Joaquin County, California, United States. It has been used for agriculture since the 1800s; in the early 20th century it was used to plant potatoes, and United States president Herbert Hoover operated a beet farm there. In the 1960s, natural gas deposits were discovered beneath the island. In 1936, it was connected to the mainland by the Eight Mile Road Bridge, across King Island. As with many islands in the Delta, the Empire Tract has experienced considerable subsidence, and is well below sea level.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Delta's floating highway". KXTV. 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  2. 1 2 "Caltrans Delta Ferries". Caltrans. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  3. "Special Route Restrictions". Caltrans. Retrieved 2024-01-06.