Construction of new slips for the Englishtown ferry in Victoria County is progressing slower than anticipated, pushing the completion date back by upwards of 10 weeks.

That means the vessel Torquil MacLean will not resume operations until at least early August, with a chance it could be later than that.

There is disappointment within the business community that the ferry will be out of service during the peak tourism season. The alternate route is to drive around St. Anns Bay, a trip of approximately 40 kilometres.

Englishtown ferry upgrades six weeks behind schedule

"We discovered some site conditions that required review and remodification of our design and really a change in scope of the whole project," said Gerard Jessome, district director with the provincial transportation department.

He said there was a hole under the slip on the Jersey Cove side of the channel which was caused by erosion. That discovery was made in April.

At the time, the projected completion date for the project was changed to the end of May, but a new design will take even longer to implement.

Severe marine environment

"The contractor had to deal with a number of issues on-site with the severe marine environment" said Jessome. "What we do there we want to do right so it's going to last and provide service for the folks in the area for many years to come."

Municipal Ready-Mix was contracted in January to expand the slips, to make them wider and to change the angle to allow better access for cars and trucks.

Jessome said employees who normally direct vehicles and collect fares continue to work providing security and maintenance on the ferry. The vessel is tied up in Big Harbour.

Business owners along the Cabot Trail are concerned that travellers are less likely to stop at their shops if the trip to northern Cape Breton takes longer.