Duke Point Terminal closed this weekend, ferry sailings rerouted to Departure Bay

Nanaimo's Duke Point ferry terminal will be closed Jan. 26 and 27 for construction, with traffic and sailings rerouted to the Departure Bay terminal.

Normally sailings to the mainland from Departure Bay only travel to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, but, over the weekend, BC Ferries will add a new route to Tsawwassen to accommodate customers.

Those affected can choose between six new sailing times over the weekend between Departure Bay and Tsawwassen.

For those planning to catch a ferry this weekend, Astrid Braunschmidt with BC Ferries says she doesn't expect there to be too much extra traffic at the Departure Bay terminal considering this weekend traditionally sees fewer bookings.

"We chose this weekend specifically to try to minimize the impacts on travel and when we look at the reservations...there's still lots of room," said Braunschmidt.

"We're doing our best to make sure that travellers get to where they need to be."

She encourages anyone worried about missing a specific sailing due to the extra traffic to reserve a spot online.

The closure comes as BC Ferries looks to replace the car ramp and apron that have been in place since the terminal first opened in 1997. The apron is the piece of equipment that connects to the ferry to allow vehicles to off-load.

Braunschmidt says contractors will use a barge and crane to remove the old apron and install a new one.

BC Ferries expects all construction to be finished over the weekend, with service scheduled to resume out of Duke Point on Monday, Jan. 28.