Transportation

There will be no ferry service between Juneau, Haines and Skagway this weekend due to repair work on the M/V Hubbard. 

Alaska Marine Highway System spokesperson Sam Dapcevich said one of the ferry’s generators began shutting down intermittently on Wednesday after delivering U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Lisa Murkowski to Haines. Instead of continuing on to Skagway, the Hubbard went straight back to Juneau.

“We have a technician on the way here, we have parts ready to go, and tomorrow they’re expecting to make the repair,” Dapcevich said on Friday.

Dapcevich said if repairs on the Hubbard go smoothly on Saturday, they may still make the 7 a.m. trip to Haines on Sunday. Passengers can keep an eye out for service notices online.

“If, by chance, they’re able to quickly make the repair and get it re-inspected by the coast guard, they would try to make that Sunday sailing if they can,” he said.

For now, though, the Hubbard is out of service through Sunday.

Passengers who had trips between Juneau, Haines and Skagway reserved this weekend can either get refunds or rebooked on later sailings. Another ferry, the Columbia, is scheduled to leave Juneau for Haines at 6:15 a.m. on Monday.

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.

A tour bus in Ketchikan ended up in Ketchikan Creek on Wednesday after it lost power, rolled backward and went over a guardrail. There were no passengers on the Alaska Coach Tours bus, and the driver wasn’t hurt.

Deputy Police Chief Eric Mattson says the crash happened as the vehicle was heading to the Cape Fox Lodge.

“The vehicle was driving up Venetia Ave. towards Cape Fox Lodge when it lost power,” he said. “It went backwards down Venetia, crossed over Park Avenue over the sidewalk railing and crashed, rear end first, into the creek where it laid to rest.”

Mattson says the next step is getting the bus out of the creek.

“We contacted the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment about the vehicle in the creek,” he said. “Obviously worried about any type of fuel or other type of lubricant entering the waters.”

According to Lt. Allen Vorholt with the U.S. Coast Guard, crews did not see a visible sheen or find any evidence of oil or gas leaks. Ketchikan Creek is an anadromous fish stream, and salmon are currently heading upstream to spawn.

Vorholt says the Marine Safety Detachment will continue to monitor the area. He said that if anyone does see signs of oil in the water, they should call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.

Advisories were issued to avoid Park Avenue, which is busy with pedestrians – mostly tourists – and cars and buses heading up to the Cape Fox restaurant and Ted Ferry Civic Center. Though traffic was delayed for a while, Mattson says the road is open.

“They were trying to get as many vehicles through, but still have that safety corridor for removal of the driver and just to make sure that the area was safe. So those that needed to transit quickly were given that opportunity,” he said.

A barrier was placed across the broken railing. A section of Park Avenue will be closed Thursday morning for the bus to be removed.

With more coastline than all of the other states combined, Alaska has quite the maritime history. And for historians and museum leaders, it’s a challenge to preserve that history. A new federally funded grant program may make their jobs easier, by funding efforts to both preserve artifacts and educate the public.

Come Tuesday, the Alaska Maritime Heritage Preservation Program will be open to applicants for $327,500 aimed at helping retain and support maritime preservation and education projects. That’s the amount the National Park Service awarded to Alaska’s state government to distribute in grants to local programs.

With its 47,300 miles of coastline, the state of Alaska has an intricate relationship with the maritime world, making it a strong candidate for the national grant, according to Katie Ringsmuth, who serves as both the Alaska state historian and deputy state historic preservation officer.

“We really are the maritime north. We’re not just a state coastline. We connect the circumpolar north and the Pacific world. We have the power to tell that story for the rest of the country,” Ringsmuth said. “That would be why I think we made a good argument. The rest of the country needs us in helping them establish that history, that really important history.”

 

The State Historic Preservation Office formed a partnership with Alaska State Library, Archives and Museums, which allowed the state to increase the funding from the national grant. According to Ringsmuth, there are two grants to which those interested can apply: one focused on Alaska maritime heritage education and the other on Alaska maritime heritage preservation.

The education grant provides money to those who will share information with the public about maritime history or skills, whether that be through participatory programs, improving maritime exhibit spaces, teaching traditional maritime skills or other techniques.

On the other hand, the historic preservation grant gives money to projects that are documenting archeological history, research, the repair and rehabilitation of important maritime resources, and more.

The grants will provide money to Alaska-residing nonprofits, individuals, academic institutions, tribes, and others.

Museums work at preservation

Museums around the state are considering applying for the funding.

“It’s a great program–one of the few funding programs aimed specifically at preserving maritime history,” said Toby Sullivan, executive director of the Kodiak Maritime Museum.

He noted that Alaska’s long coastline makes it stand out when compared with other states.

“There’s a lot of history associated with that coastline and the oceans offshore from it, from the journeys of the Indigenous people who arrived in Alaska by sea thousands of years ago, to the early European exploration of coastal Alaska, to the modern fishing industry,” Sullivan said. “Preserving and understanding that history helps us to understand who we are in the present moment and gives us the perspective to see our possible place in the world of the future.”

The Kodiak Maritime Museum is just one of the many potential applicants for the program. The museum records oral histories, conducts historical research, surveys historically important waterfront sites and does other things to preserve maritime history, Sullivan said.

When it comes to what the museum plans on citing for its grant applications, Sullivan said that the museum has two projects in mind.

“First, finding a permanent building for the museum, which is the museum’s primary strategic goal, and helping to fund any refurbishment necessary to house the museum in that building. The second funding choice is to do a systematic historic survey and inventory of maritime history sites on Kodiak‘s waterfront,” Sullivan said.

Another potential applicant is the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society. Society Executive Director Keith Nyitray said of the opportunity: “It’s amazing!”

He said there are many different pieces of history that need preservation.

“I think it’s a shame when historic knowledge is lost, and providing that opportunity for younger people to learn about the history and skills and keep them moving forward is really important,” Nyitray said. “And it’s not just about how to fish, but it’s how it was done and why it was done, and those skills transcend time, but those skills are being lost.”

SMHS has done much to preserve Alaska’s maritime history. From boat-building and knot-tying classes to pub talks where historical themes and events are discussed, it’s all done without the walls of a museum. In fact, one of the SMHS’s biggest goals is to restore a boathouse to serve as their museum’s home.

“We’ve just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars into restoring this thing, we may apply for a fire suppression system, a sprinkler system, because what’s the sense in restoring it and then having it all burn down?” Nyitray said.

The Maritime Heritage Preservation Program application period opens on Aug. 1 and closes on Oct. 31.

Ringsmuth said it’s a significant opportunity.

“This is a program that we really hope will help Alaskans preserve not just the places that really matter to them, but their traditions and their lifeways,” Ringsmuth said. “We’re kind of treating this as a pilot program, and success will help leverage future grants. So that is really the intent is to try to create a more sustainable program so that we can continue to support coastal communities and the comprehensive history of Alaska.”

A webinar will be held on Sept. 21 with more information about the grant. For more information, concerning Alaska’s Maritime Heritage Preservation Grant or a link to the webinar, contact State Historian Katie Ringsmuth at katie.ringsmuth@alaska.gov.

This story originally appeared in the Alaska Beacon and is republished here with permission.

Federal transportation dollars are pouring into the Alaska Marine Highway System. It’s saving the state money now. But Alaska’s ferry board is looking far into the future and helping to draft a 20-year plan. It includes three new ferries in the next four years.

“The purpose of this whole plan is really to guide us, you know, in our capital and operating investments going all the way out through 2045,” said Craig Tornga, Alaska’s marine director.

He was speaking with the board that makes recommendations to the state during a lengthy meeting, July 14. He said the plan seeks to standardize the fleet and terminals for efficiency.

The state is working with marine engineering firm Elliot Bay Design Group out of Seattle. The first phase of the draft plan is set to be shared with the Alaska Legislature in August.

The long-range plan lists many changes that are needed before the ferry service can be reliable once again.

The Alaska marine highway connects 33 coastal communities. But services and funding have steadily declined over the past decade.

Ferry board members have discussed improving the system since the board was created by the Legislature and started meeting two years ago. At their last meeting, members like Wanetta Ayers emphasized the importance of the marine highways.

“I’ve sat in many, many community meetings, and heard over and over and over again from people about the importance of the ferry system in terms of their medical travel,” Ayers said. “That many people cannot get on a small plane to get out of their communities to get to the next level of medical care.”

But passengers likely won’t see better service until more ferry workers are hired and the aging fleet is improved. Crew shortages, especially licensed crew, continue to be a problem. AMHS hired only 12 new people last year and lost 11.

The plan seeks to keep eight vessels serving 35 ports of call over the next three years, and one vessel in maintenance. However, only six ferries are running this summer. There are no reserve ferries on standby for emergencies or unplanned maintenance needs. And that will continue to create reliability issues until the fleet size is increased, the plan states. That’s supposed to happen in the next few years. Three new ferries are to be added to the fleet by the end of 2027. One of them will be a hybrid model, and one will be electric.

Two new ferries will replace two 60 years old ferries– the ocean-class Tustumena and the mainliner Matanuska. The Tustumena Replacement, TRV as it’s called, is already underway and will cost $250 million. It will be the state’s first diesel-battery powered hybrid ferry. Like the Tustumena, it would also serve communities in Kodiak, South Central, and Southwest Alaska.

With federal funds, an all-electric ferry will replace the 20-year-old dayboat Lituya, which is the state’s smallest ferry, serving a route between Ketchikan and Metlakatla. The Lituya could then be used on a short run somewhere else, yet to be decided.

Before the new ferries are done, the Tazlina is scheduled to return to service after crew quarters are added. The ferry, along with its sister ship, the Hubbard was built five years ago in Ketchikan for $60 million. But they didn’t include crew quarters, limiting them to short day trips. After construction, it was decided that crew quarters were needed. The Hubbard got those quarters for $15 million and started serving the Lynn Canal in May.

The state’s plan calls for the Tazlina to be back in service sometime next year.

The next phases of the long-range plan will look at demographics and demand for all marine highway communities and seek input from stakeholders. A draft of the 20-year plan is expected to be finalized next summer. Board member Norm Carson encouraged the engineers to get data from locals. He’s lived in Pelican on Chichagof Island since 1967 and says the population fluctuates.

“The community probably at least doubles in size between April and say, October,” said Carson. “So, what you see on a census data is not nearly accurate, get a hold of myself, the mayor, or somebody like that for more information.”

Juliette Lehman with the engineering firm assured the board that getting local feedback is part of the process. She said they’ll be checking with stakeholders to make sure the data in the plan meshes with reality.

“To receive input from community members to ensure that the data set is a collection of information that is accurate and up to date,” Lehman said. “Like you said, maybe some of our sources don’t have the nuance that a community member would have firsthand knowledge of.”

Federal dollars are expected to continue coming to the state’s marine highway system through the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. The state of Alaska spent just $7.5 million operating ferries last year. That’s over $100 million less than it spent in 2015 when it budgeted $120 million on ferry operations. That’s because the federal government is sending transportation money throughout the country – including nearly $97 million to Alaska ferries last year.

Federal dollars for ferries are expected to continue coming to the state through the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. About $1 billion is allocated to ferry projects in the country with routes greater than 50 miles, which places Alaska in the position to get a lot of the funds.

A labor dispute in Skagway between the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway and its workers has ended. On Wednesday both parties signed an agreement that will keep the trains going and the workers on the job.

Rail workers for the White Pass & Yukon Route sought a wage increase to keep up with the cost of living in Skagway.

“Negotiations began six years ago,” said Jason Guiler, who chairs the local chapter of the union that represents White Pass’s 27 Alaska-based engineers, conductors and brakemen. “It started at the end of 2017, and with such a change that has happened in our environment, with COVID, and with the sale of the organization in 2018, and obviously there have been several factors that have allowed for that delay all the way until now.”

Guiler works on the company’s trains, taking tourists through the mountains and into Canada. He switches between positions — sometimes he is the engineer, sometimes the brakeman, or the conductor. He says workers like him had not gotten a raise in over six years.

But there was another sticking point. Tyler Rose, the executive director at White Pass and Yukon Route, said the company considered phasing out the brakeman position on the train. He says that position could have been automated.

“What we were looking at was with technology, into the future, the potential of something through attrition,” he said.

Guiler says the workers disagreed.

“That brakeman role, that third individual on board the train, that is a critical one,” he said.

He said with only three people responsible for the safety of up to 600 passengers, employees didn’t want to see that position eliminated.

“Though automation works in some areas and has in some capacity been used in a freight line to success, [it] just doesn’t work when you add the human factor into it,” he said.

Rose says the company conceded.

“It really is that balance between efficiencies and what makes sense, and managing the workforce in a positive way,” he said.

Eventually the parties drafted an agreement. The brakeman position would remain, health benefits be maintained, and workers would see a wage increase. Rose says he is pleased with the agreement.

“It’s a substantial wage increase that we are pleased with, and our employees are pleased with. We are just really happy to be moving forward with this,” he said.

Guiler says an overwhelming majority of the workers voted in support of the agreement. It was signed and went into effect on July 26.

“We look forward to being able to work together and move into the future, resting assured knowing that we are going to be able to enjoy those successes together with the organization,” he said.

The agreement will be up for review in 2027.