The federal government will be spending $5.7 million for wharf improvements at the Saint John ferry terminal to ensure the safety of passengers travelling between the Port City and Digby, N.S.
MP Wayne Long made the announcement Wednesday, saying the funds will help replace the terminal’s fender system.
"They're the kind of things that do wear down overtime,” Long says. “There really hasn't been a lot of infrastructure improvements or infrastructure investments in this dock.”
Long says the project will help ensure the safety of passengers and minimize wear and tear to the vessel so the ferry can be docked safely overnight.
"It's a needed infrastructure improvement to the wharf and to the wharf facilities here that continues the economic viability of Bay Ferries and the link between Saint John and Digby," Long says.
The ferry service from Saint John to Digby has been a fixture in both communities since 1894.
"In the summertime we can accommodate up to about 200 cars and I think up to 600 passengers each way," says Jim Wilson, vice-president of Bay Ferries.
The ferry also transports a variety of commercial goods.
"A lot of fish and a lot of lobster goes back and forth. A lot of forestry products go back and forth on the ferry every day," says Wilson.
With the recent acquisition of the Fundy Rose, tourism officials say the purchase sends an important signal that the Bay of Fundy service has a long-term future.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mary Cranston.
