Wolfe Island residents fear new ferry dock will be completed in time

Ferry users are concerned about the slow pace of expansion of the Wolfe Island ferry wharf on the mainland.

The project is supposed to be completed in 2023, and islanders are frustrated by massive queues and a lack of clear answers from the Department of Transport.

« A lot of us talk about the fact that on the Kingston side there’s all this equipment sitting here and there doesn’t seem to be any work going on and we don’t know why. So it’s very concerning,” said Wolfe Island resident Ken Morin.

Work to expand the wharf to provide more space on land and in the water to accommodate the larger 75-vehicle Wolfe Islander 4 ferry began in 2020.

At the time, the project had a deadline of 2023.

Since then, the multimillion-dollar Islander 4, the province’s first battery-powered ferry, has arrived from Romania where it was being built by Dutch company Damen Shipyards.

The ferry is moored in Picton and remains out of service while on Ontario Street, work continues on the wharf, seeming far from meeting its deadline.

Already, residents say the delay means operations have not kept up with demand and they are feeling the impact.

« I worked in Kingston all spring and summer and missed probably 10 days of work because of the ferry, so it’s a little disconcerting, » Morin said.

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Preview of the third crossing

« For me, I’m trying to get home from work, or whatever it is really, and then I’m stuck here for another hour because of all the construction and people trying to recover, » another said. Island resident Lauren Taggart.

Global News contacted the Department of Transportation to ask about a possible delay and received the following statement: “The Department is working diligently to complete construction of the mainland and island docks as soon as possible. We’ll have more to say about that in due time.

Without more information, islanders wonder how much longer they will be affected by the delay.