Montreal’s Port Authority is making major upgrade to a pier and passenger terminal in the Old Port.
The renovation, which was announced on Monday, will cost $78 million total, with the provincial government contributing $20 million, the city $15 million and the Port Authority paying the rest.
The project is expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2017 cruise season, with the exception of a tower that will be finished in 2019.
The goal is to promote tourism by making downtown and the Old Port area more accessible to tourists, as well as to make the St. Lawrence River more accessible for Montrealers. There will be new public spaces right on the river and an observation tower that is supposed to boast great views.
The 100-year-old pier was last refurbished for Expo 67.
“It’s not just to transport the goods, it’s also to transport the people,” said Mayor Denis Coderre. “The fact that we have, I think it enhances the signature of Montreal. The great project will not just consolidate what we have already but we’ll have even more tourists that will have another reason to come to Montreal.”
With 2016’s cruise season set to begin in early May, a semi-permanent terminal has been set up east of the Jacques Cartier Bridge while work on the Alexandra begins.
