Bell Island is fueling up again with reopening of gas station

Bell Island residents no longer have to cross the tickle to fill up their vehicles.

Dwayne Yetman says there was a 20-car line waiting for him when Island Gas Bar and Convenience opened Tuesday morning. 

It's been nearly two months since the town of Wabana's Irving closed, and the new owner said people are "very positive and very relieved that we have gas back here."

Yetman welcomes the win in a summer full of unfortunate events connected to transportation in Bell Island.

He said before the new gas station opened, getting fuel was a day-long commitment that included sitting in heavy traffic as people waited to take the ferry back to Bell Island from Portugal Cove-St. Philip's.

"It gave… a lot of people a three-to-four-hour wait," said Yetman. "And Bell Island is a very popular destination."

The businessman knows the island's tourism industry well, as the owner of The Hangry Miner take-out. He says it's all the more reason to open up shop at the old King's Irving location.

Yetman and his wife, Amanda, plan to open a restaurant at the gas bar in the coming months. 

Although demand for gas is particularly high in Bell Island these days, Yetman says a dangerous goods ferry runs at least once a week, so there isn't any worry of running out any time soon.

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