PORT ANGELES — Black Ball Ferry Line’s M.V. Coho will be out of service from Jan. 4 through Feb. 28 during construction of a new wharf at Black Ball’s Victoria, B.C. terminal.
The M.V. Coho’s last sailing from Port Angeles prior to the break will be at 2 p.m. Jan. 3, with the last sailing from Victoria at 4 p.m. on the same day. Regular service will resume on Feb. 29, when the M.V. Coho departs Port Angeles at 8:20 a.m. and Victoria at 10:30 a.m.
Other options to get to Victoria by ferry: the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria; or B.C. Ferries from Tsawassen, B.C. to Sidney, B.C.
The construction at the Victoria terminal includes work to replace the wharf and complete construction of a new vehicle loading ramp and covered passenger walkway.
This work is part of Phase 1 of the three-phase Belleville Terminal revitalization project that began in October. The cost of the $17.4-million project is being shared by the Province of British Columbia, Black Ball Ferry Line and Clipper Navigation Ltd. Construction on the wharf involves replacement of the existing timber piles and deck structure with new steel-pipe piles with a precast concrete deck. There will also be upgrades to the terminal parking area.
Black Ball Ferry Line will complete upgrades to the mooring dolphins in Port Angeles while the vessel is in its extended dry dock period.
“We are enhancing the travel experience for our customers with these upgrades,” Black Ball president and chief operating officer Ryan Burles said in an announcement issued by the company. “We look forward to continuing to work together with the Province of B.C., the City of Victoria and all our partners to get the next phases of the Belleville Terminal revitalization project underway.”
According to Black Ball Ferry Line, more than 400,000 passengers and 127,000 vehicles travel each year on the M.V. Coho between Victoria and Port Angeles. The ferry line also moves an estimated $200 million and $300 million in goods. The company estimates its operations create an annual economic impact of more than $160 million within the local communities.
