The Alaska ferry has released its summer plan. Here’s what it means for Bellingham
Alaska ferries could be visiting Bellingham twice a week this spring and summer, according to a newly released schedule proposal.
The proposal calls for Thursday and Friday visits on some weeks and Friday/Saturday visits on alternate weeks, according to the proposal from the Alaska Marine Highway System.
The MV Columbia will make visits on Fridays from May through September, while the MV Matanuska will visit on alternate Thursdays. The MV Kennicott will visit on alternate Saturdays, according to the schedule.
The draft schedule is based on expected funding from the state legislature and public comment of the plan ends on Feb. 3.
As for the future of the Alaska ferry, a new report indicates that it might be difficult to switch to a private operation. On Wednesday, Jan. 15 the Alaska Department of Transportation released a draft of an economic report focused on the Alaska Marine Highway System. The report looked at 11 different scenarios to determine if there are ways to run the system on a tighter budget.
Several of the scenarios looked at privatization of some of the routes but concluded in each one that private companies would lose money. It also concluded that reducing the budget to $24 million, which the governor proposed last year, “will be extremely difficult if there is also a desire to provide minimum levels of service” to existing communities.
The report also noted that while Bellingham is the highest revenue port, it also accounts for a significant amount of the expense.
