Confederation Trail will soon take folks all the way to the Wood Islands ferry

The province is hoping to encourage more people to walk, run or bike to the ferry in Wood Islands by extending the Confederation Trail another 1,076 metres.

"There is a trail to the ferry in Nova Scotia, so it's kind of a no-brainer that we have to join them," says John Rousseau, chair of the board of directors for Wood Islands and Area Development Corporation.

"There are an awful lot of local people who walk on the Confederation Trail, and the trip down there, especially to the lighthouse... on a beautiful day — it's the place to be."

The Confederation Trail is Prince Edward Island's designated portion of the Trans Canada Trail, winding its way along the old railway tracks decommissioned after P.E.I. lost its train service in 1969.

Right now it ends at the nearby market and visitor centre, not far from the Northumberland Ferries terminal where people can get the boat to Caribou, N.S.

'We want to be able to get walkers and cyclists on and off the boat really safely,' says John Rousseau, chair of the board of directors for the Wood Islands and Area Development Corporation. (Tony Davis/CBC)

Rousseau said the extension to the trail will be routed around the visitor centre and alongside the highway to get folks as close to the ferry as possible.

"We want to be able to get walkers and cyclists on and off the boat really safely," he said.

Adding just over a kilometre to the trail will cost about $375,000, the province estimates.

Officials with the province say the plan is to have the section of trail ready by the end of June. (Tony Davis/CBC)

Rousseau said the community has been asking for this extension since 2005.

"Now we're making the final push, the last mile. Just like the transcontinental [railway] in 1885, we're joining two provinces," he said.

A tender is out for the work. Officials with the province hope to have the section of trail ready for use by the end of June.