— from the Office of Rep. Jeff Morris —

I’ve spent 23 years advocating for new ferries, securing funding, and finding the right process to construct the newer 144-car vessels. In 2009 I was able to expedite construction of these ferries by two years, and in 2013 secured funding for a third Olympic Class vessel.

It’s clear we need more vessels to take the place of aging ferries, and I understand that there are many competing interests for funds in the state’s two-year biennial transportation budget. Unfortunately, this year the budget as drafted will rely on a 75-cent surcharge on every vehicle fare sold to pay for renovations and new vessels.

What’s frustrating about this is that our ferry system is part of the state’s overall transportation network, just as our roads are.  New paving, lane striping and the like are paid for with state gas tax dollars. Charging another 75 cents to people who rely on ferries to get to work, school, or the doctor – without including other revenue sources as we do with new roads – isn’t fair.

I’ll keep working on this so that we can get the new boats we need without solely targeting a percentage of Washingtonians who use this part of our transportation system.

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