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BIG BOATS NEED BIG REPAIRS – Instead of plying the waters of the Salish Sea, Washington state ferry Salish is undergoing serious repairs. It ran aground at the Coupeville ferry terminal Sept. 9. The Kwa-di Tabil class ferry is half the fleet for the Port Townsend/Coupeville route. More, and new, ferries are needed for traffic that will grow 30 percent by 2040 a new study concludes. – Photo by Ken Stern
Last week Washington State Ferries released its draft long-range plan, outlining strategies for providing reliable, sustainable and resilient ferry service through at least 2040 for the largest ferry system in the United States. The ridership is forecast to grow 30 percent by 2040. Over half the fleet, 13 of 22 ferries will be retired and replaced by then. Plans call for expanding the fleet to 26 vessels.
The plan identifies the challenges: “an already overburdened fleet and aging infrastructure. possibility of natural disasters and the effects of climate change present challenges to WSF’s ves...
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