Date:
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Contact:
Marta Coursey, WSF Communications Director, (206) 515-3918
(Seattle) As travelers gear up for a busy holiday weekend, Washington State Ferries (WSF) announces options to help customers affected by the State's decision to remove the 80 year-old Steel Electric-class ferries from service. This decision means that Port Townsend-Keystone car ferry service is cancelled until further notice and the Illahee was removed from the San Juan Islands inter-island route.
The Evergreen State replaced the Illahee Wednesday afternoon, November 21 to provide service on the San Juan Islands inter-island route. The Evergreen State adds capacity to the San Juan Islands route - it carries 87 vehicles compared to the 59-car capacity of the Illahee.
WSF staff is working hard to help lessen the impacts of the loss of passenger-vehicle service on the Port Townsend-Keystone route by providing the following:
� From Wednesday, November 21 to Sunday evening, November 25, a third vessel will run on the Edmonds-Kingston route for eight hours a day to supplement the printed schedule. The three-boat service will help handle the extra traffic expected over the Thanksgiving weekend. This route is the best detour for people traveling from the Olympic Peninsula to Whidbey Island.
� WSF plans to operate the high-speed passenger ferry Snohomish between Port Townsend and Keystone. WSF hopes to have the service up and running by Monday, November 26th. The passenger ferry will maintain the current schedule and parking will be available at the Port Townsend and Keystone terminals.
� All pre-paid tickets for the Port Townsend-Keystone route (including multi-ride cards) will be honored on the Mukilteo-Clinton and Edmonds-Kingston route. All Port Townsend-Keystone route tickets purchased on or before Tuesday, November 21 can be used on these alternate routes.
� WSF is coordinating with regional transit providers to help riders set-up vanpools and other services. Customers on Whidbey Island can call Island Transit at (360) 321-6688 ext. 3 (or toll free at 800-240-8747) to set up a temporary vanpool. Other transit agencies can help customers discuss their options, including Jefferson Transit (800-371-0497) and Kitsap Transit (800-501-7433).
"I realize the timing of this couldn't be worse," said Washington State Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond. "It is Thanksgiving weekend. We are doing everything we can to make this easier on the traveling public and the communities we serve."
Travel information is updated regularly online at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/. Customers are encouraged to check the Web site often or call WSF's customer information line at: (888) 808-7977.
Background:
WSF owns four Steel Electric class vessels - Quinault, Klickitat, Illahee and Nisqually. These vessels predominantly serve the Port Townsend-Keystone and San Juan Islands inter-island routes. They are the only ferries in the system capable of operating in Keystone's narrow and shallow harbor.
On Tuesday, November 20, Hammond announced that WSF would pull all Steel Electric class vessels out of service due to concerns about their safety. Ongoing work on the Quinault revealed significant hull pitting along the keel that likely extends to all four Steel Electric vessels.
"Our first priority is to assess the full range of hull pitting in each vessel and determine the extent and the cost of needed repairs. Depending on what is found, the next step will be repair or retirement of the Steel Electrics," Hammond said.
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