📋 Tender Overview
The travelling experience of ferry passengers between Victoria and Washington state will be improved by the Belleville Terminal Redevelopment Project, which will deliver a new, secure, state-of-the-art, pre-clearance terminal for passengers and goods.
A request for qualifications (RFQ) has been issued for the design and construction of this new terminal. It is an international gateway for goods, services and passengers, and drives regional and provincial economic growth. Travellers spend approximately $174 million annually, generating $268 million in economic output and $155 million in provincial gross domestic product (GDP).
“We have moved quickly from project approval to procurement to signal that this tourism and trade corridor is critical for the region,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “An improved modern terminal will be an economic generator on both sides of the border and will make travel more convenient for the hundreds of thousands of passengers travelling through it every year.”
Following the RFQ, a shortlist of qualified teams will be invited to participate in a request for proposal (RFP).
The upgrade will bring Belleville Terminal into compliance with the Canada-U.S. Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Preclearance Agreement. Pre-clearance will streamline travel by allowing passengers to complete the U.S. customs and immigration process in Victoria, prior to disembarking in the United States.
With an approved budget of $303.9 million, the project is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 tourism season. The federal government has confirmed $41.6 million for the project. The Province is in discussions with ferry operators Black Ball Ferry Line and FRS Clipper to determine their respective involvement in the project.
Belleville Terminal is on the territory of the Lekwungen peoples, the Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation. The Province is working collaboratively with the Songhees Nation and Esquimalt Nation to identify opportunities to showcase the cultural and geographical significance of the project’s location in Victoria’s Inner Harbour, and welcome visitors into Lekwungen territory.
