Art Anderson Associates designed a cable ferry that carries motorists and pedestrians across the Willamette River near the town of Canby, about 20 miles upstream from Portland, Oregon. The new ferry, the MJ Lee has a carrying capacity of nine automobiles and 49 passengers. In addition to autos and pedestrians, the vessel carries trucks, farm and recreational vehicles and bicycles.

The vessel is unique by virtue of an electro-hydraulic propulsion system which draws its electric power from overhead trolley wires spanning the river. The electric power is converted to hydraulic power which drives a pair of deck-mounted Thrustmaster Z-drive thrusters. The ferry runs on-call, 14-1/2 hours per day, year-round. It is owned by the Clackamas County Dept. of Transportation and Development and is operated with minimal staff.

In addition to the design of the boat, from start to finish, our facilities division designed the modifications at the site that were needed to accommodate the new boat: overhead electric trolley, roadway extensions into the river and the submerged guide cable anchorages and the overnight tie-up scheme.