3 ms·

Due to spherical geometry, Prince Rupert is closer to Asia than any other reasonable North American port (sorry, Skagway) south of Anchorage. Kitsault is just u

by scythe 4y ago

Due to spherical geometry, Prince Rupert is closer to Asia than any other reasonable North American port (sorry, Skagway) south of Anchorage. Kitsault is just up the inlet, and much easier to reach (crossing the Coast Mountains sunk Prince Rupert). It also happens to be easier (lower) to cross the Rockies (CA-16) when you're north of Prince George, so Kitsault could possibly have better access to Chicago than does, say, Seattle (I'm not certain here). However, the col to access Kitsault from the BC central valley is still about half a mile high, so you would need to build a tunnel to get decent rail freight capacity. It would be a short one, easier than tunneling to Stewart/Hyder. Also, the inlet is only about 1800 feet wide, which could be difficult to navigate considering the high frequency of inclement weather in the area.

elihu 4y ago
There's rail access to Port Edward (just a couple miles from Prince Rupert) currently, going by what you can see in Google Maps. Looks like it follows a pretty flat route, though it winds around to follow the shorelines / rivers. I wonder how much sea level rise or flooding it would take to inundate that rail line and the Yellowhead highway? They seem like they're barely above water level now. Using Kisault as a port is an interesting idea. Worth mentioning that the tides in that area are huge, which makes for dangerous currents. (Random personal trivia: I once passed within about 20 miles of Kisault while travelling to the Queen Charlotte islands by way of Prince Rupert. The 800 passenger ferry we took, The Queen of the North, some years later got off course on a different route and struck a rock at full speed and sank. Almost everyone got off.)
- moistly 4y ago
  > Almost everyone got off. Rumour is that the acting Captain was getting his rocks off instead of doing his job of not crashing into rocks at full speed. https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/captain-of-b-c-ferry-that-sank-after-crew-allegedly-had-sex-on-bridge-makes-case-for-what-caused-disaster https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/captain-of-b-c-... In the end there was no hard proof. Two people died, bodies never found. The officer was convicted with a four-year jail term (I’ve no idea how long he actually served.)
- scythe 4y ago
  >There's rail access to Port Edward (just a couple miles from Prince Rupert) currently, going by what you can see in Google Maps. Looks like it follows a pretty flat route, though it winds around to follow the shorelines / rivers. There is a railroad, but that is a windy, two-track railroad for the last ~200 kilometers from Kitwanga to Port Edward, with associated capacity limits and costs. To reach Kitsault from the relatively wide, flat Nisga'a Highway corridor, you need a tunnel of about 25 kilometers, but this could fit four or more tracks and run a much straighter, faster course. You can clearly see the difference: https://i.postimg.cc/RhBLxfQx/railbc.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/RhBLxfQx/railbc.jpg
Tiktaalik 4y ago
The inlets around BC's coast are certainly treacherous and that's been a source of controversy around the various LNG and oil pipeline projects as depending on the site it seems inevitable that someone is going to sink. I recall some company got in some controversy because during a public information session they had maps where they'd straight up removed many of the islands and shoals from the maps of the inlet.

by scythe 4y ago

elihu 4y ago

There's rail access to Port Edward (just a couple miles from Prince Rupert) currently, going by what you can see in Google Maps. Looks like it follows a pretty flat route, though it winds around to follow the shorelines / rivers. I wonder how much sea level rise or flooding it would take to inundate that rail line and the Yellowhead highway? They seem like they're barely above water level now. Using Kisault as a port is an interesting idea. Worth mentioning that the tides in that area are huge, which makes for dangerous currents. (Random personal trivia: I once passed within about 20 miles of Kisault while travelling to the Queen Charlotte islands by way of Prince Rupert. The 800 passenger ferry we took, The Queen of the North, some years later got off course on a different route and struck a rock at full speed and sank. Almost everyone got off.)

moistly 4y ago
> Almost everyone got off. Rumour is that the acting Captain was getting his rocks off instead of doing his job of not crashing into rocks at full speed. https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/captain-of-b-c-ferry-that-sank-after-crew-allegedly-had-sex-on-bridge-makes-case-for-what-caused-disaster https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/captain-of-b-c-... In the end there was no hard proof. Two people died, bodies never found. The officer was convicted with a four-year jail term (I’ve no idea how long he actually served.)
scythe 4y ago
>There's rail access to Port Edward (just a couple miles from Prince Rupert) currently, going by what you can see in Google Maps. Looks like it follows a pretty flat route, though it winds around to follow the shorelines / rivers. There is a railroad, but that is a windy, two-track railroad for the last ~200 kilometers from Kitwanga to Port Edward, with associated capacity limits and costs. To reach Kitsault from the relatively wide, flat Nisga'a Highway corridor, you need a tunnel of about 25 kilometers, but this could fit four or more tracks and run a much straighter, faster course. You can clearly see the difference: https://i.postimg.cc/RhBLxfQx/railbc.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/RhBLxfQx/railbc.jpg

Tiktaalik 4y ago

The inlets around BC's coast are certainly treacherous and that's been a source of controversy around the various LNG and oil pipeline projects as depending on the site it seems inevitable that someone is going to sink. I recall some company got in some controversy because during a public information session they had maps where they'd straight up removed many of the islands and shoals from the maps of the inlet.