$16.5M invested in Wolfe Island ferry route
The Government of Ontario will spend $16.5 million to lower part of the St. Lawrence River along the Wolfe Island ferry route near Kingston.
Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes and Daryl Kramp, MPP for Hastings-Lennox and Addington, announced the funding on July 16.
The men said the project is necessary to maintain existing ferry service and will accommodate the new, larger Wolfe Island ferry that is expected to provide increased service for passengers and better access to goods on the island.
“This investment will lead to improved ferry service between Kingston and Wolfe Island,” said Clark. “Getting this important work started is a huge step toward building the infrastructure needed to prepare for the new Wolfe Island ferry.”
“Ferries are vital to families in our region who rely on this service in their daily lives,” said MPP Kramp. “By lowering the river along the ferry route, we are making it possible to provide better access and convenience for the people in our community.”
Lowering parts of the channel is the first contract awarded for the Wolfe Island Docks Project, which is needed to accommodate for the future arrival of the new, larger Wolfe Island ferry. The water depth will be lowered to a depth of 69 metres along the 1.5-kilometre route to a dock in Marysville. Construction is expected to begin soon and be completed by September 2021.
The government is expecting to award contracts for improvements to the Marysville (Wolfe Island) and Kingston ferry docks later this year.
“Investing in ferry infrastructure is a key part of our plan to connect communities in eastern Ontario,” said Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney.
The province is currently developing the first regional transportation plan for eastern Ontario, to be released in 2021.