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PIERCE COUNTY - Services were suspended for the ferry that travels between Steilacoom, Ketron and Anderson Island on Saturday, leaving residents without transportation to the mainland for more days than expected.
Pierce County posted an update on its website around 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, announcing the repairs were successful and normal ferry service would resume at approximately 3:15 p.m. and the ferry would operate as close to the normal schedule as possible for the remainder of the day.
Timeline:
In a morning announcement from Pierce County, service parts from Canada were anticipated to be delivered Tuesday afternoon, but a timeline for the Steilacoom II ferry to return to service was unclear.
The replacement parts were installed around 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday and the crews began conducting sea trials to test repairs.
Ferry service repair timeline remains unclear
What they're saying:
"We do not yet have an estimated timeline for when service will be restored," Pierce County said in its Tuesday morning announcement.
The Steilacoom II ferry's propulsion system experienced a mechanical failure, specifically caused by the signal boards. The two backup boards on the vessel failed as well, making way for an immediate need for repair, according to Pierce County.
Pierce County said it recognized the hardship the disruption caused for residents and is working urgently to restore service.
The other side:
Island residents and local officials took to social media to discuss their frustrations.
"Pierce County's lack of communication regarding the ferry service operations has been a failure in good government," Representative Mari Leavitt said in a Facebook post.
Leavitt further explained in her Facebook post that residents were left wondering what was happening with ferry updates. She emphasized the ferry is a lifeline for island residents to get to their mainland commitments.
Residents also asked how ballots would be picked up from the island, especially considering Washington's Secretary of State recommended mailing ballots more than a week before Election Day.
A look at one of the Pierce County ferries that brings walk-on and drive-on passengers on the Steilacoom-Anderson Island route. (FOX 13 Seattle | Annabelle Pepin)
Why is there no backup ferry?
Dig deeper:
One of the frequently asked questions from Pierce County Ferries was questioning why the other vessel, the Christine Anderson, cannot be put to use during repairs. This ferry is in dry dock.
Washington State Ferries typically is not the fallback plan either, considering Pierce County Ferries and WA State Ferries are separate transportation systems.
The last time a Washington State Ferry took over the Steilacoom-Anderson Island route was under rare and unique circumstances in 2008.
Pierce County loaned the Steilacoom II ferry to Washington State Ferries for its open-water Port Townsend to Keystone route, while the primary boat was in dry dock.
The historical, aging Rhododendron vessel, a former member of the Washington State Ferry fleet, was not approved by the Coast Guard to run on Port Townsend's rougher open waters, so it was offered to Pierce County.
Why are repairs taking so long?
According to Pierce County, the signal boards were difficult to locate and were unavailable in the United States, but the county successfully contacted a Canadian vendor which had the proper components.
The Source: Information in this story came from Pierce County Ferries, Friends of Representative Mari Leavitt, the Evergreen Fleet and Washington's Secretary of State Office.
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