PORT TOWNSEND — A plan to land Kenmore Air passenger floatplanes in Port Townsend Bay isn’t going to take off in time for the Hood Canal Bridge closure in less than 1½ months.
Attempts to get the Quincy Street Dock prepared and permitted for seaplane docking were going to run too tight, said Kevin Harris, the current owner of the aged ferry dock.
Harris, who has also been the catalyst for bringing the Kenmore planes to the county, said he wasn’t too disappointed with the removal of the Port Townsend stop from service designed to link Jefferson County with the Puget Sound outside world when the floating bridge is disconnected for six weeks to replace the 48-year-old eastern half.
“It’s still going to Port Ludlow and Port Hadlock,” Harris said.
“We just need to work together to get people from Port Townsend to Port Hadlock.”
Working together means working with the city — something that the city is now happy to do.
“We’re working together on it,” said Christina Pivarnik, the city’s marketing director.
“I have every intention of getting a shuttle setup for travel between Port Townsend and the dock at Port Hadlock.”
Harris, the city and Kenmore Air are also working together to market the flights.
On Wednesday, a camera crew and host from KING-TV’s “Evening Magazine” program arrived in Port Townsend to film a special on the travel options onto the North Olympic Peninsula during the closure.
Travel reimbursement
Harris is working with local inns and hotels to establish a travel reimbursement for fliers who come to Port Townsend via Kenmore Air.
The city is also working to implement the flights with its new marketing slogan, “Life on the Other Side.”
“I’m glad we could team up to still get people here,” Harris said.
“It’s looking positive right now.”
Harris flew into Lower Hadlock on Wednesday with Craig O’Neill, marketing director for Kenmore Air.
“It’s an amazing trip,” Harris said.
“It’s so quick and easy.”
There will be three round-trip flights daily during the closure, costing $79 for one-way tickets and $158 for a round-trip.
According to Kenmore Air, flight times will be between 20 and 35 minutes each way and will operate from Lake Union in downtown Seattle, the Inn at Port Hadlock and the Resort at Port Ludlow.
O’Neill said Kenmore Air was still excited to be flying into the county.
“We were excited to get into Port Townsend on the waterfront,” O’Neill said.
“But this is still going to work, and we are still very excited.”
O’Neill said he wouldn’t make any promises, but the service would be a test for a possible long-term flight set-up between Seattle and Jefferson County.
“I think there may be some longer-term potential,” O’Neill said.
O’Neill said that Kenmore’s planes could fly either six or up to 10 passengers, depending on the demand.
“We would match the equipment to the load,” he said.
Along with air service, the state has offered one of its Kingston-Edmonds ferries to handle large commercial truck traffic on the North Olympic Peninsula in nighttime hours during the closure.
That ferry also would hold cars and walk-on passengers, but would only make one round trip between Edmonds from Port Townsend late at night before returning to Kingston.
As is planned now, Port Angeles-based Victoria Express will provide passenger transportation across Hood Canal between South Point in Jefferson County and Lofall in Kitsap County during the bridge closure.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
