Governor Mike Dunleavy is asking the Legislature for extra money to continue work on Alaska Marine Highway System ferries currently out-of-service for upgrades and repairs.
Ben Stevens, the governor’s chief of staff, said at Southeast Conference in Juneau on Tuesday that the administration’s number one priority right now for the Marine Highway System is to get boats operable.
He says the $12.5 million request would be for steel work and upgrades to at least three boats. The state wants side doors allowing them to load and unload more efficiently. Once complete, that would leave about $4 million for operations. The transportation department is also moving forward with its plan to build a seasonal terminal at Cascade Point that would shorten sailing times between Haines and Juneau’s road system. He didn’t say how much that project would cost.
In addition, he says the governor is in the midst of putting together a working group to steer the future of the state’s ferries, while predicting that it’ll be a slow process to get the ferries back up and running.
Passage of the supplemental budget is likely as legislative leadership has indicated broad support for state ferries. Last month the House and Senate tried — and failed — to muster enough votes to override the governor’s veto of $5 million in extra ferry funding.