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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDeputy Secretary Nevey - DRAFT for FAC consideration April 2, 2025 Mr. Steve Nevey Deputy Secretary, WSDOT/WSF Dear Deputy Secretary Nevey, After consulting with the leaders of the Port Townsend community, including the administrations of Port Townsend and Jefferson County and members of the Port Townsend City Council and the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners, the Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) for the Port Townsend terminal is recommending and requesting that Washington State Ferries make a number of changes to the current Long-Range Plan (LRP) to allow the use of larger vessels on the Port Townsend-Coupeville (PT-CV) and Defiance / Tahlequah (PD-T) routes. Currently, the PT-CV route can only be served by the 64-car Kwa-di Tabil (K-D-T) class vessels because of the constraints of Keystone Harbor on Whidbey Island. The harbor is too shallow, too short, and too narrow to allow the use of large vessels. Tidal currents across the narrow mouth of the harbor create an additional navigation hazard, leading to about 100 cancelled sailings each year. Beginning in 2003, several studies were conducted to review the options for expanding Keystone Harbor or relocating that terminal to accommodate larger vessels. Those studies identified several options, but progress toward a resolution stalled at the end of 2007 when all four 60-car Steel-Electric class vessels which had been in use on the PT-CV route were abruptly removed from service. After 2007, but before the reservations system was created, Port Townsend officials were concerned about the impact of larger vessels on the city streets; there was simply no additional space available along Water Street (SR-20), and the existing holding area space in the vicinity of the terminal had already been creating substantial traffic problems during peak season*. The decision was made to build the 64-car K-D-T class of vessels, which began service in 2010-2011-2012 on the routes where the Steel-Electrics had been used. The LRP forecasts a 49% growth** for the PT-CV route by 2040. That increase in demand can’t be met using the current 64-car vessels by extending the two-boat season or by extending service hours because of the seasonal, predominantly tourist nature of the customer base. Three-boat service is also not possible due to the constraints of Keystone Harbor. In recent years (while two-boat service was available, pre-COVID), nearly all sailings were fully booked throughout most of the tourist season. Larger boats will provide the only means by which service can be expanded to meet the long-term projected demand. On March 25, 2025, WSF announced to the Washington State Senate that all new vessels will be of the 160-car class and that the LRP’s intent to design and build a smaller 124-car version to replace the current Issaquah class vessels has been abandoned (L2021131 pre-design study). 124-car vessels might have been accommodated by relocation of the Keystone Harbor dock and the expansion of the terminals and docks on the PT-CV route along with some alterations of the docks for the PD-T route. However, costs for environmental impact studies, permitting, and construction of new facilities, particularly those near or in-water, have increased dramatically since the Keystone studies. As a consequence of WSF’s fiscally prudent decision to use 160-car vessels throughout the WSF system, the upgrades that would be required to accommodate 160-car vessels on the routes served by the K-D-Ts would be far more expensive; it is inconceivable that the costs – now estimated by WSF to roughly $1 billion – would be supported by the legislature. All of these factors make it clear that dock relocation / expansion is no longer a feasible way to resolve the capacity needs of the PT-CV route. The LRP currently states that there is a need to perform a “safety and navigation” study of Keystone Harbor; due to COVID, that study was been delayed and has not yet been funded. WSDOT has in recent years added a series of roundabouts on SR-20 in Port Townsend. One roundabout replaced a stop light near the ferry terminal where backups had at times obstructed the safe offloading of cars from the ferry. Because of the reservations system and SR-20 road improvements, the impact on Water Street of offloading a larger ferry, compared to a 64-car ferry, will be much less than had previously been the case. Considering the above, to accommodate the growth on the PT-CV route, our FAC recommends that WSF revise the LRP to: • Work with WSDOT to provide a park-and-ride area at Keystone to encourage more walk-on passengers; • Obtain funding for and conduct the LRP’s “safety and navigation” study; • Evaluate in detail the changes that would be required to Keystone Harbor (expanding the holding area, relocating dolphins) and Port Townsend (slight widening and/or lengthening the dock***, relocating dolphins) to accommodate a 100-car vessel; • Evaluate in detail the changes to the docks on the PD-T route that would be required to accommodate a 100-car vessel; • Obtain funding to design and build three new, 100-car vessels that will be o 100% battery-powered (not hybrid-electric) to reduce costs and eliminate all diesel emissions o Equipped with “Z-drives”**** to allow better maneuverability and safe passage at Keystone Harbor o Provide expanded service for the PT-CV and PD-T routes. • Not plan to expend any monies to convert the K-D-Ts from diesel-mechanical to hybrid- diesel-electric. Rather, plan to sell all of those ferries while they still have value and use the proceeds to offset some of the costs of new, larger ferries. The K-D-Ts will reach their 30-year half-life in 2040-2, by which time the 100-car vessels could be in service, so selling the K-D-Ts as soon as possible will save the costs of mid-life refurbishments. Expanding service on the PT-CV route by using larger ferries is the only practicable way to support the 49% growth in demand that was forecast in the LRP. During off-peak, one ferry would serve the route, as today. One 100-car ferry would serve the route well for much of the year and would reduce the number of weeks for which two-boat service would be needed, thus saving some operating costs. Two 100-car ferries would operate on the PT-CV route only during the (shortened) peak season. Finally, compared with the slow and inefficient K-D-Ts, the new 100-car ferries would be much more useful as service relief vessels on most other routes. On December 16, 2024, the City of Port Townsend adopted as one of its several legislative priorities: “Protect and enhance the Port Townsend-Coupeville and Edmonds-Kingston Ferry Service as an important segment of the maritime highway and a critical economic connector to and from Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. Over the coming years, consider enhancements of ferry docks and load/unload areas to gain efficiencies, access, and better use of the ferry system as well as larger hybrid-electric vessels to provide better service and address financial and technical challenges of converting existing 64-car diesel-mechanical boats to hybrid-electric.” The FAC agrees and supports that priority and is submitting this set of recommendations in support of that goal. Thank you for considering this proposal. We would appreciate an opportunity to have more detailed discussions with you and your staff. Sincerely, Tom Thiersch Chair, Jefferson County Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC), Port Townsend terminal ------------------------------ * See “Keystone PT letter 05-31-07.pdf”, attached. ** LRP Page 29: “The route projected to have the most vehicle growth between 2017 and 2040 is Port Townsend/Coupeville, with a 49 percent increase (334,300 vehicles and drivers in 2017, increasing to 498,200 vehicles and drivers in 2040).” *** Some of the WSF parking area on the PT dock could be used for additional holding space, reducing the need for expansion of the dock. **** Azimuth thrusters (“Z-drive”)