On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the San Juan County Council and the Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) unanimously endorsed a response to Washington State Ferries’ Long Range-Planning Options that calls the lower cost Plan B “an unrealistic representation of state ferry service.” The response offers support to the system’s Plan A with some caveats.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division projects that, at the current funding rate, Plan A would create a 20-year funding shortfall of $3.5 billion. Over the same period of time Plan B would come up $1.4 billion short.
WSDOT’s proposed Long-Range Plan A calls for the acquisition of 10 new vessels over the next 20 years and would make capital investments in land transit programs at selected terminals to encourage walk-on ferry ridership.
Plan B calls for the purchase of just five new vessels, the elimination of the Anacortes to Sidney ferry route, and removal of that boat from domestic service. It assumes that some of the reduction in capacity would be absorbed by passenger ferries, operated by local entities rather than the state.
The State is holding a meeting aboard the inter-island ferry on Thursday, Jan 15. If leaving from Orcas Island, board the inter-island at 12:25 p.m., headed to Lopez. The ferry meeting will return to Orcas after sailing to Friday Harbor, and is scheduled to arrive at Orcas Landing at 2:55 p.m.
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