Wrangell would see one northbound and one southbound state ferry each week this summer, under the proposed schedule released Monday.
That's one-third the level of service from 2017 to 2019, before the pandemic significantly cut into ferry runs last year.
Under the draft schedule for May 1 through Sept. 30, the Matanuska would stop in Wrangell northbound on Sunday mornings and southbound on Friday afternoons on its weekly run to Southeast Alaska from Bellingham, Washington.
The Alaska Marine Highway System budget is down about 25% from two years ago. The largest ship in the fleet, the Columbia, will be held out of service this summer to save money, as will the fleet's newest ships, the Tazlina and Hubbard.
"One boat a week in each direction is not horrible," Wrangell Mayor Steve Prysunka said Tuesday. "It could have been a lot worse."
The community saw just one ferry stop in town in November, no visits in December and only one sailing in January.
At least travelers can make plans with a weekly sailing in each direction during the summer, the mayor said, "as long as they can keep the boats running."
Southeast communities suffered a near total loss of ferry service last winter when the Matanuska broke down in late January 2020, and the Marine Highway System did not have another vessel available to take its place until April.
In addition to the Matanuska's weekly voyages this summer, the state's draft schedule calls for the LeConte to serve Juneau, Haines and Skagway with three or four round trips per week. The Kennicott will make a run between Bellingham, Ketchikan and Juneau on alternate weeks, serving Yakutat, Kodiak, Homer and other ports on cross-Gulf sailings.
The proposed schedule is based on several factors, the Department of Transportation said in its Monday announcement. Those include the state's tight finances, weakened travel demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the governor's proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
The Alaska Department of Transportation has scheduled a teleconference to accept public comments on the draft schedule, set for 10 a.m. Feb. 8 for Southeast communities. The toll-free number is 1-515-604-9000, access code 279613.
The summer schedule includes no service to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, which the ferry system stopped in 2019 over multiple issues.
"Due to the pandemic and continuing Canadian border closure, the proposed summer schedule does not include service to Prince Rupert," the department said. "Upon the future reopening of the Canadian border, a team from the State of Alaska will meet at that time with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Transport Canada in Prince Rupert to finalize the steps necessary to meet U.S. Customs full pre-clearance requirements for service to Prince Rupert."
Reader Comments(0)