Tsawwassen | |
|---|---|
| Ferry terminal | |
 Tsawwassen ferry terminal from the air | |
| General information | |
| Location | 1 Ferry Causeway Delta, British Columbia Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°00′31″N123°07′44″W / 49.0086567°N 123.1289291°W /49.0086567; -123.1289291 |
| Owned by | BC Ferries |
| Operated by | BC Ferries |
| Line(s) | Route 1–Swartz Bay Route 9–Long Harbour Route 30–Duke Point |
| Bus stands | 2 |
| Bus operators | Coast Mountain Bus Company |
| Connections | |
| Construction | |
| Parking |
|
| Accessible | Yes |
| Other information | |
| Station code | TSA[1] |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Opened | June 15, 1960 |
| Passengers | |
| 2024 | 4 603 980[a]  1.94% |
Tsawwassen is a ferry terminal and a major transportation facility inDelta, British Columbia, part of theBC Ferries system andHighway 17. Positioned less than 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the49th parallel along theCanada–United States border,[2] it is located at the southwestern end of a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi)causeway that juts out into theStrait of Georgia off the mainland at the community ofTsawwassen. With an approximate size of 23 hectares (57 acres), it is the largest ferry terminal inNorth America.[citation needed]
In the late 1950s, the search for a mainland ferry terminal that would connect British Columbia'sLower Mainland with theVictoria area onVancouver Island involved extensive scouting of locations, fromSteveston toWhite Rock. Despite concerns of rough seas and bad weather, the favoured site soon became the area offshore fromthe Tsawwassen First Nation reserve.
Construction of the terminal began in 1959, afterBC Transportation MinisterPhil Gaglardi, on divided engineering advice, selected the site. Construction of anartificial island began, and the causeway was built from the island back towards the mainland.[3] The endeavour used an estimated 2.3 million cubic metres (3.0 million cubic yards) of boulder, rock, and gravel fill.[4]
To connectHighway 99 to the new terminal, an 11-kilometre-long (6.8 mi) highway was constructed near the southern end of theDeas Tunnel and through the edge ofLadner and became a portion ofHighway 17. The terminal opened on June 15, 1960.[5]
In the mid-1990s, a major renovation and expansion of the terminal was undertaken.
The isolated causeway location of the terminal was criticized locally in its formative years. In 2003, theTsawwassen First Nation filed legal action in theBC Supreme Court over the destruction of theforeshore and other concerns caused by the impact of the terminal and the nearbyRoberts Bank Superport.[6] Concerns were also expressed in 2005 abouteutrophication, or destructive bacterial buildup, in the waters between the terminal and the Roberts Bank facility.[7]
Currently, there are fiveberths at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. The terminal primarily serves routes travelling to theSwartz Bay ferry terminal, north ofVictoria, and the southernGulf Islands.
On May 1, 1990, a connection from Tsawwassen toNanaimo called the "Mid-Island Express" was established,[8] providing the fastest surface connection between Northern Vancouver Island andthe border with the United States atBlaine, and, since the opening of the South Fraser Perimeter Road, to theFraser Valley and points east. The route ran toDeparture Bay until 1997, when theDuke Point ferry terminal opened.
The quickest path between the terminal andActive Pass, for ferries travelling to the Gulf Islands or to Swartz Bay, passes over approximately 8 km (5 mi) of United States waters in the Strait of Georgia.
The terminal is served by public transportation throughTransLink's620 bus route.
