From the top deck of the Coho ferry, the view into Victoria’s Inner Harbour is changing by the day. Where the old Clipper terminal once stood, a new international gateway is taking shape and construction has now reached the halfway point. The $416-million Belleville Terminal project is officially 50 per cent complete, according to Transportation Investment Corporation, the provincial Crown corporation overseeing the work. “The new Belleville Terminal is making good progress,” said Jacob Helliwell, the project director. Crews have completed the building’s pilings and most of its foundation. The next phase is moving the project upward, with work underway for a new wharf and the terminal’s vertical walls. Construction began in June 2025 with the demolition of the former Clipper building. The new two-storey terminal is designed to bring the Clipper and Coho ferry services together, while also housing Canadian and U.S. border agencies. For passengers, the goal is a smoother arrival and departure experience. “There will be enough space to handle 300 to 400 passengers,” said Ryan Burrows, president of Black Ball Ferry Line, which operates the Coho. Burrows says the new terminal will allow passengers travelling on both ferries to complete the necessary border processing in Victoria, rather than undergoing another inspection after arriving on the other side. “Then you’ll just drive off or walk off and you’re gone,” he said. The project is currently on time and on budget, with the terminal expected to open in late 2028. For Black Ball, the project will eventually mean leaving its current terminal building on Belleville Street. What happens to that building next, however, remains unclear. “We do not really know,” Burrows said. The building will revert to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure once the new terminal is complete, but Burrows says the ministry has not yet determined what will happen to it. He expects there could be more clarity toward the end of 2028. Until then, the construction site will continue to be part of the view for passengers arriving in Victoria by ferry, with the outline of a new gateway to the capital taking shape in the heart of the Inner Harbour.
