BC Ferries has confirmed the dates for major upgrade work at the Langdale terminal’s Berth 1. The berth will be closed from Jan. 19 to April 6, 2017.
Ferries will operate out of Berth 2 during the upgrade project, and BC Ferries is changing the schedule to bring in two smaller vessels and run hourly. The ferry company said while there won’t be as much space on each sailing, the extra runs will mean the overall capacity during the day will be roughly the same as it is with the current schedule. Ferries also plans to continue allowing reservations.
The biggest change will be for people travelling to Gambier and Keats islands.
The Stormaway won’t be able to dock at Langdale during the construction, so the service will run out of Gibsons Harbour instead and operate on a modified schedule. Ferries will offer parking at Gibsons Harbour and a shuttle service between Langdale and Gibsons to connect with sailings on the Langdale-Horseshoe Bay route.
“BC Ferries needs to continue to invest and renew its terminal infrastructure in order to provide safe and reliable service,” said Mark Wilson, BC Ferries’ vice president of engineering. “Once completed, we expect at least 20 years of dependable service from Berth 1, enabling us to continue to meet the expectations of our customers.”
Details of the modified schedules for both routes are available now at www.bcferries.com
While BC Ferries is working to upgrade the infrastructure for the area’s existing link to the Lower Mainland, the province is getting public input on the possibility of a new, fixed link.
A series of open houses on the fixed link feasibility study started Oct. 18 in Squamish. An online comment form is also available until Nov. 8 at www.gov.bc.ca/sunshinecoastfixedlink
“I know many Sunshine Coast and Sea to Sky residents have been eager to provide input,” said West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy in a release announcing the open house dates. “We received significant feedback from local governments and First Nations in meetings over the summer and I’m extremely interested in what residents have to say about the practicality of a potential future connection between the Sunshine Coast and Lower Mainland.”
Open houses on the Sunshine Coast are Oct. 26 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Seaside Centre in Sechelt, and Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gibsons Garden Hotel in Gibsons.
