Government has begun construction of a floating ferry dock in Hamilton designed to handle the faster bow-loading ferries scheduled to arrive in Bermuda this spring.

The dock, built in Canada and towed to Albouy's Point last Friday, was added to the existing concrete breakwater at Hamilton's ferry terminal. It will be big enough to accommodate two of the new catamaran ferries and two of the older, side-loading ferries.

The dock is part of a $3 million overhaul of the entire terminal, which will also include a redesigned main building. The building's turnstiles, which once restricted access to the dock, will be removed and passengers will pay their fares on board the ferries instead.

The project in Hamilton began two months after construction started at Rockaway in Southampton, where a new ferry stop is being built. That facility, also budgeted to cost $3 million, will include a car park with room for 87 cars while a free minibus service will collect commuters from home in the morning and drop them off in the evening.

Government will begin redesigning the ferry terminal in Dockyard soon, according to the Ministry of Transport's transportation programme coordinator, Larry Jacobs. Government will also build a ferry terminal in St. George's and a dock for overnight berthing at Marine & Ports Headquarters on East Broadway. Transport officials expect to announce the location of the dock in St. George's in about three weeks, after meeting with representatives from Correia Construction, the contractor building the docks.

All of the facilities should be completed by April, when the faster ferries will begin service. The first ferry, Serenity, will arrive in March, when Marine & Ports crew will be trained to operate the vessel. The second ferry, still unnamed, will arrive a month later. The two ferries will connect Hamilton with Dockyard, Rockaway and, during the summer, St. George's. The trip from Dockyard to Hamilton will take about 22 minutes, according to Transport Minister Ewart Brown, and frequency of voyages on the route will be doubled. Fares will not be changed during the first year of service.

All the reconfiguring - required because the new ferries load through the bow rather than the side - attracted much public criticism. In 2000, Government estimated the total cost of the new docks to be $3.2 million, and said that individual projects would cost between $500,000 and $2 million.

At a press conference yesterday at the Hamilton construction site, Dr. Brown said bow-loading ferries were chosen “to provide easier interface with the docks, particularly for our senior citizens and the physically challenged”.

“The bow loading also requires less dock space to load and unload,” he added.

Gladding-Hearn Duclos Corporation is building the ferries at its shipyard in Somerset, Massachusetts. Marine & Ports Director Ron Ross, who visited the shipyard last week, said the first ferry is about 75 percent complete, with the house scheduled to be attached to the hull next week. The second ferry is about half way complete.

The 88-foot ferries will seat 205 passengers and have room for 250 passengers seated and standing. The bow of the boat will be able to accommodate motorbikes.

The Ministry of Transport will assess the new ferries after six months in operation and decide it is worth ordering two more ferries to replace the boats which travel on the Somerset route and stop in Hamilton, at Somerset Bridge, Cavello Bay, Watford Bridge and Boaz Island. Those ferries, if ordered, will arrive in 2003.

“The development of the new ferry boats is an important element in our continuing goals to attract more residents and visitors to use public transportation,” Dr. Brown said.

The Ministry is particularly concerned about traffic congestion on the western roads into Hamilton, which all converge at the Crow Lane Roundabout, producing lengthy lines during the morning rush hour. With three separate routes into Hamilton, commuters from the East End do not suffer from the same problem.

When the boats enter service, Government will take out several television and radio spots to get people to use the new ferries. But it is hoping that most of the advertising will be through word of mouth. “We think that the boats will sell themselves,” Dr. Brown said.

Eventually, the Ministry expects to fully coordinate the ferries with the buses. Transportation passes are currently valid on ferries and buses, but Public Transport intends to integrate the two systems on all fare levels, introducing tickets that are valid on buses and ferries. Dr. Brown also said that bus and ferry schedules would be better marched so that people could use one form of transport to connect with another, especially in Dockyard.