Crucial car ferry likely out for a year or more

It's likely to be a year or more before car-ferry service returns to the Port Townsend-Keystone route after state officials on Monday recommended four aging ferries, sidelined since Nov. 20, should be scrapped, not fixed.

"Clearly we're disappointed," Port Townsend Mayor Mark Welch said. "All the cities, not just us but the whole peninsula, depend on people being able to get to us."

The Port Townsend-Keystone route carries 778,000 passengers and 370,000 vehicles each year, according to Washington State Ferries. With the Steel Electrics out of service, the route is served by the passenger ferry Snohomish.

The state had planned to fix at least three of the four 80-year-old Steel Electric ferries — the Quinault, the Illahee and the Klickitat — at a cost of about $4 million each. But late last week a further inspection of the Quinault, now in dry dock at Todd Shipyards, found more extensive pitting and corrosion than expected, driving up repair costs.

Ferry officials say that after peeling 70 percent of the ferry's paint, workers discovered nearly half of the boat's steel hull needed to be replaced.

That news prompted the influential seven legislators on the state Joint Transportation Committee to recommend to Gov. Christine Gregoire on Monday that the ferries not be repaired and instead be replaced. Gregoire will unveil her proposal for ferry safety Thursday at Todd Shipyards in Seattle. She could not be reached for comment Monday.

"There's no sense spending any more money on these boats," said Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee. "This wasn't a hard decision for me. I don't feel safe riding [the ferries]. We made the tough decision."

Added Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor: "The only thing practical is to cut our losses right now."

So far, according to the ferry system, the state has spent about 15 percent of the initial estimated $4 million cost of repairing the Quinault, or about $600,000.

"There's a point where we have to give up the ghost. I didn't feel good about the safety of the boats," said Paula Hammond, secretary of the Department of Transportation.

Matt Nichols, with Nichols Brothers Boat Builders on Whidbey Island, said he, and a consortium with Todd and Martinac boat builders, could build a new boat in a year for about $20 million. Hammond said another kind of boat with a covered car deck that might be more stable in the rough Keystone waters could be more expensive and might take longer to build.

Steve Reinmuth, chief of staff for the state DOT, said shipyards are already filled with ferries in for their regular inspections. He said the state may try to get a Coast Guard exemption to put off the mandatory drydocks for the other ferries to leave room for building new boats more quickly.

Hammond said she knows the decision will be tough on the Port Townsend community, and she plans to meet with community leaders there Wednesday. "We don't want to let the community down," she said. "I know this will have a big community impact."

Hammond said the most critical factor in replacing the boats is time, and she hopes to present a plan to the Legislature early next session setting up a schedule.

"We're in crisis mode," she said. "We have to be really careful and not leave Port Townsend and Whidbey Island high and dry."

Dave Timmons, Port Townsend city manager, said the community needs to come up with a strategy to make the delay work. "People rely on that transit to get back and forth to work, and delivery and service vehicles that use that route. Now they're having to see five to six hours added to their travel time."

Compounding the problem, he said, is coming up with a plan to encourage tourism without a car ferry; he said the town might pursue more destination travelers.

Other questions were raised Monday:

• How many new boats should the state build? Hammond said she'd like to build three, to have one spare. The Steel Electrics also served the San Juan Islands, but that route has already been taken over by another car ferry.

• Where will the money come from to build the new boats? Nearly $350 million has been set aside for four other new, 144-car ferries, and there was some talk of dipping into those funds to replace the Steel Electrics. But the most likely source of funds is money dedicated to terminal replacement.

According to Hammond, $120 million has been appropriated through the nickel gas-tax money for a new terminal in Mukilteo. That could be delayed.

There are also terminal plans in Anacortes and at Colman Dock in Seattle that could be halted to provide money for new ferries.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com