||| FROM DAVID TURNOY |||
The governor and legislature are quite aware of the need for new ferries, and accordingly money has been budgeted for this. The goal is to produce new ferries that greatly reduce pollution by being hybrid electric. Especially with the way the ferries have operated (or not operated) the last several years, many of us have been excited by the prospect of these new ferries.
Unfortunately, there won’t be any new ferries anytime soon. The one company that was being counted on for this production changed ownership, and the new owner is more risk averse and is demanding a much higher price. As a result, negotiations have fallen apart.
The details of this sorry state of affairs can be found in the Seattle Times at https://www.seattletimes.
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Washington State Ferries currently has a problem similar to what the Prince of Wales Island off the southeast Alaska coast had in the 80s when I lived there. In their case, the ferry came to POW once a week, on Thursdays.
After several years of inaction and continued funding cuts (the last ferry, commonly referred to as ‘The Puker’ because of its rough crossings sat in the harbor in Bellingham for years), the Interisland Ferry Association was formed, built two ferries, the POW and the Stikine, which now provide daily ferry service between Hollis and Ketchikan for $52. Granted it is a 3-hour trip each way, but just like our Orcas-to-Anacortes or Orcas-to-other-islands, it does allow for daily business elsewhere and a return to home each night.
Maybe those Alaskans have something there . . .
Thank you for sharing that example! SJC should explore similar solutions. Obviously it’s more complicated than Prince of Wales island’s situation but the principle is the same.