On his last day in Alaska, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took the state’s newest ferry from Juneau to Haines. But after Buttigieg, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and their staff got off the MV Hubbard, the ferry stopped running. One of its generators had been shutting down intermittently.
“In most of the ferry fleet, what we’re worrying about is its age,” Buttigieg said. “Having a new vessel is not all there is to the story. We need to make sure that we’re creating a framework where operations, maintenance and capital planning can go well.”
Buttigieg spent three days in Alaska. He traveled to Kotzebue, Anchorage and Haines, learning about the state’s transportation needs and highlighting projects made possible by federal infrastructure funding.
His last stop was at the Juneau International Airport, which got nearly $3.5 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Standing on the tarmac at the Alaska Seaplanes terminal, Buttigieg spoke mostly about the ferry system.
The bill allocated more than $285 million to the Alaska Marine Highway System. That funding will go toward several projects that include modernizing four vessels, replacing the MV Tustumena, upgrading rural dock infrastructure and providing service to rural communities.
Those projects require a funding match from the state of about $105 million. The state says it’s matching those funds using a few different sources.
“States that put forward a healthy level of skin in the game on their side are often able to unlock that much more federal support on our side,” Buttigieg said.
But Murkowski said staffing remains a challenge for the ferry system. Its reservations center reduced hours this month due to staff shortages, and they’re only taking reservations on the Kennicott through Feb. 2024 because of a crew shortage.
“You can’t operate a ferry – whether it’s in good running condition or whether it’s a 54-year-old ship – you can’t operate it without the men and women,” Murkowski said.
The ferry system could have even more sources of federal funding. Earlier in the afternoon, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that 6,500 miles of navigable waterways in southwestern and northern Alaska would be added to the United States Marine Highway Program.
“When you enter into the marine highway program, you’re part of a national designation that can mean greater access to grant funding and policy attention,” Buttigieg said.
While the designation doesn’t add ferry service to coastal and river ports in those regions, the Transportation Department says it could open up funding for future projects in southwest and northern Alaska.
Correction: A previous version of the story said Buttigieg traveled to Skagway. He took the Hubbard from Juneau to Haines and did not stop in Skagway. Also, a previous version of this story said the ferry system was only taking reservations through February. That’s true for the Kennicott. Reservations on other ferries can still be booked after February.
