By Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen
People who relied on regular ferry service to cross from Keystone to Port Townsend were dealt a severe blow just before Thanksgiving when Washington State Ferries pulled the hardworking 80-year old Steel Electrics from service.
As inconveniencing as this decision was for many travelers, I agreed with it. I have always thought that safety should be the number one priority of our transportation system, and the discovery of pitting in the steel hulls of the Quinault was a signal that simply couldn’t be ignored.
It turns out that pulling the Steel Electrics was a smart move. Further inspection found that as much as 45 percent of the Quinault’s hull steel needed to be replaced, and the outlook was similar for her sister ships as well.
Although I was hopeful that at least one of the Steel Electrics could be put back into service with minimal cost and delay, I called for their immediate retirement as soon as it was clear that repairing them was no longer a cost-effective option. “Repair rather than replace” is a practical idea that has kept these boats afloat far longer than ever intended, but we’re clearly at the point where fixing 80-year-old boats would be tossing good money after bad.
It’s also clear, however, that we need something more than temporary passenger-only service to replace the Steel Electrics — we need full-service restored, and we need it as soon as possible. Too many peoples’ livelihoods are depending on it.
During recent meetings with the Joint Transportation Committee and with Washington State Ferries, it was apparent that WSF doesn’t have car-carrying vessels capable of maneuvering in Keystone Harbor to replace the Steel Electrics, and that building custom-designed ships to replace them would take far longer than was acceptable.
These meetings, however, did bear fruit — and I’m very glad that all those involved managed to come up with a solution that will soon have cars on ferries crossing from Keystone to Port Townsend again.
Pierce County has agreed to lease the M/V Christine Anderson to WSF for service on the Port Townsend-Keystone route beginning sometime in January, after her current overhauls are completed and she has been run through sea trials and docking maneuvers to verify her compatibility for deployment to Keystone Harbor. The 213-foot Christine Anderson, which went into county service in July 1994, can carry 54 cars and 250 passengers.
Service by the Christine Anderson will be supplemented with the current passenger-only run, as well as a new passenger-only run between Port Townsend and Seattle, and enhanced transit for passenger-only ferry customers from Keystone Harbor to points on Whidbey Island, including Coupeville.
Meanwhile, the governor has agreed to authorize the construction of three new vessels as permanent replacements for the Steel Electrics.
These new vessels will be similar in design to Pierce County’s newer MV Steilacoom II, which can carry 54 cars and 300 passengers. Because their design has already been tested and approved, these vessels can be built much more quickly and efficiently than other previously proposed Steel Electric replacements.
As chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, I will be focused on keeping these projects on time and on budget, and will be troubleshooting any snags that pop up along the way.
A transportation system as large and complex as ours cannot exist with a build-and-forget mentality. While expansion to accommodate growth is necessary, it cannot occur at the expense of failing to maintain the infrastructure we already have. To do so would be like adding a new bedroom to a house before fixing the leaky roof — it just doesn’t make sense.
Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen lives on Camano Island and
represents the 10th Legislative District.
