PORT TOWNSEND — State lawmakers are likely to embrace a plan that would provide only one 64-car ferry for the Port Townsend-Keystone route, the state’s transportation chief said Monday.
“I do think that what will come out of this is a long-range plan . . . and a boat-building plan,” Paula Hammond told about 50 attending the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Fort Worden State Park.
Hammond’s state Department of Transportation ferries staff has proposed to the Legislature a “Plan A,” maintaining robust car ferry service and all routes with some very clear improvements, or “Plan B,” keeping existing “water highway” routes with some service cuts and county-augmented passenger ferry service.
Plan A could quickly produce a $3.5 billion state funding gap, while Plan B’s deficit would be less — but still difficult to fund at $3.1 billion over 20 years.
Proposed for the Port Townsend-Keystone route is a 64-car vessel that would replace the lighter-weight, 50-car Steilacoom II, which the state has leased from Pierce County to operate on the Port Townsend-Keystone route during new ferry’s construction.
The vessel has been running the Admiralty Inlet route since January 2008, after Hammond pulled the 80-year-old Steel Electric-class ferries from service on Nov. 20, 2007, saying they were unsafe because of seriously corroded hulls.
Hammond said that after the ferry’s construction is under way, the state will move further on vessel procurement that will include building two more 64-car ferries, which could serve as backup for Port Townsend-Keystone, and other 144-car ferries for more heavily traveled routes.
Serious consideration
Hammond said she liked what she was hearing from state lawmakers, who were taking the ferry system seriously.
“The Legislature is approaching ferries as a statewide issue right now, which I think is good,” she said.
David Moseley, state deputy transportation secretary for ferries, joined Hammond at the luncheon.
He reported that steel for the 64-car ferry was ordered in late February and should be delivered in May.
“After that, they start welding the boat together,” he said.
Todd Pacific Shipyard of Seattle, which is building the $64.5 million ferry, is routinely meeting with ferries officials to get the job done by May 2010, which Gov. Chris Gregoire has required as a “fast-track” project.
Todd Chief Executive Officer Steve Welch said that to complete ferry construction in a year, the project will be divided three ways, with Todd building the hull, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland on Whidbey Island building the vessel’s superstructure and Everett Shipyards building the vessel layer in-between — which is from the car deck up to and including the passenger compartment.
Designer named
Guido Perla & Associates is representing Todd Shipyards as its ferry designer, while Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle is representing the state ferries system in refining plans for the ferry.
Hammond said a state ferries and Todd Shipyards team has been formed to shepherd the ferry project through.
“We haven’t built a new boat in 10 years, and we are all pretty nervous about it,” said Hammond.
She said the Legislature is trying to decide the construction pace of the second 64-car ferry.
Elliott Bay Design Group designed Massachusetts’ Island Home ferry, and the design of the future Port Townsend-Keystone ferry is roughly based on that ferry.
Lease extension
Meanwhile, Moseley said he and other ferries officials are talking about extending the state’s lease of Pierce County’s Steilacoom II past August to serve the Port Townsend-Keystone route.
He said that although Pierce County officials want their boat back, they are “less resistant” to extending the lease because the 64-car ferry project is well under way.
Todd Pacific Shipyards of Seattle is now designing a $65.5 million 64-car, 750-passenger ferry to replace the Steilacoom II on the route, but it is not scheduled to be complete until June 2010.
The Steilacoom II is not built for the Port Townsend-Keystone route, and high winds and heavy seas often leave the vessel docked, at the captain’s discretion.
Such was the case on Saturday when bad weather on Admiralty Inlet kept the vessel from sailing most of the day.
It also happened Friday after the vessel developed steering problems that resulted in only three runs while repairs were made, said Moseley.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
