Terminal upgrade sparks ferry joy

UPGRADES to the Bruny Island ferry terminal at Kettering will reduce queuing and improve efficiency of services, the State Government and Kingborough Council say.

The work to landside ferry infrastructure is expected to cost about $5 million, subject to design finalisation.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said the upgrades would improve experiences for users and provide better traffic management for vehicles and ferries.

“We will see more orderly and safer boarding, with amenity and safety benefits for local residents and other road users,’’ he said.

“The significant upgrades will include the doubling of the number of ramps at both Kettering and Roberts Point, which will remove the current single ramp dependency at each landing, as well as improvements to vehicle access and safety.

“The improved infrastructure will allow for faster turnarounds, less chance of waiting for another vessel to unload, and reduced queuing.”

Kingborough Mayor Dean Winter said the investment in infrastructure was much needed.

“We’re seeing 5 per cent growth on visitor numbers year on year and we’re looking forward to having both the infrastructure upgraded and the second new ferry online in the first half of next year,’’ he said.

“We hope that it allows [ferry operating company] Sealink to load two ferries at a time and that means more people can get out of the queue and over to Bruny more efficiently.”

The Government said a tender for the project would be advertised soon, after development application approval by the council.

Mr Ferguson said the Government would continue to consult with the Bruny Island Reference Group and the Bruny Island community as infrastructure designs and upgrades are progressed.

The new ferry, Nairana, started operating this month following a string of delays. It was held up because its design did not initially allow it to berth at the Kettering terminal.