HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, Nfld. — Major changes are on the way for transportation services along the Labrador coast, insists Percy Barrett, minister of Works, Services and Transportation.

The completion of the Trans Labrador Highway from Red Bay to Cartwright in the fall of 2002 will forever change the way residents do business along the coast of Labrador, the government contends.

To reflect government’s policy of providing marine service only to communities that are not connected by road, a new three-ferry service will include moving the southernmost marine terminal from Lewisporte, on the island of Newfoundland, to Cartwright. Three vessels will be used to operate the service:

— one passenger, roll-on, roll-off vessel will operate between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Cartwright, with a port of call at Rigolet;
— a passenger/freight service will run from Happy Valley-Goose Bay to Rigolet and Cartwright before heading to Nain and ports in between;
— the third, smaller vessel will service communities south of Cartwright not connected by road.

“The three-vessel service will enhance transportation for individuals and businesses along the coast of Labrador,” says Barrett. “The users of these ferries are going to be very pleased with the level of service they will receive next year and beyond.”

The department will invest $2.2 million in wharf and terminal upgrades, greatly improving shore-based marine infrastructure, including the installation of stern ramps at the Black Tickle and Postville dock sites to accommodate a roll-on, roll-off vessel for the movement of containers.