Downtown Victoria鈥檚 Belleville Terminal is set to get a whole new look in time for the 2028 tourism season, the province has announced.

In a news release Friday (June 30), the province announced a budget of $303.9 million has been approved for the project, with $41.6 million coming from the federal government.

鈥淭he new facility we鈥檙e building is going to generate hundreds of new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in additional visitor spending over the coming decades,鈥� said Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure. 鈥淎 modern pre-clearance terminal will make travel more convenient for tourists, while enhancing security and trade between Vancouver Island and Washington state, improving Vancouver Island鈥檚 tourism sector and boosting regional business investment.鈥�

Procurement is set to begin in the coming weeks, and discussions are continuing with Black Ball Ferry Line and FRS Clipper to determine their involvement in the project.

The upgrade is designed to bring the ferry terminal into compliance with the Canada-U.S. Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Preclearance Agreement, according to the province.

Using preclearance, travellers will complete U.S. customs and immigration processes in Victoria, allowing them to disembark in the U.S. without additional steps.

The project will incorporate energy-efficiency and resiliency standards to accommodate climate change, including all-electric heat, mass-timber components, and renewable materials to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The first phase of the project, expected to be complete in 2024, will include a temporary terminal in the Steamship Building and a new wharf for the FRS Clipper.

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