OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire will lay out proposals Thursday for dealing with the problems caused by sidelining the state’s oldest ferries, and for plans to move forward on constructing new car ferries that serve other routes.
She also is expected to announce whether the state will repair any or all of the four of the 80-year-old Steel Electric vessels pulled from service Nov. 20.
The decision to tie up the boats severed a key transportation link between Keystone on Whidbey Island and Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula.
Work had begun at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle to repair the hull of the Quinault in hopes of returning it to the water by the end of February.
With the extent of the damage expanding and cost of repairs climbing, several state lawmakers Monday told Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond the state should stop spending money to fix the ferries.
“Tomorrow the governor will announce her intentions regarding the Quinault repair,” said Glenn Kuper, director of communications for the Office of Financial Management where the governor’s ferry funding proposals are being drafted.
“As of right now we are still making a decision based on all of the information on the table and what the best path forward is,” he said.
The governor’s proposals on replacing those ferries will likely include options requiring legislative approval and ones that don’t.
“We are not going to completely close off any option,” he said. “It will be about where we are going to focus our energies.”
Also Thursday, Gregoire will be discussing the status of the $348 million contract to construct new 144-car ferries, which serve other routes, including Mukilteo.
The state has been negotiating terms of the contract with a consortium of three shipbuilders led by Todd. All of those same shipyards have told the state they are ready to build new ferries to replace the Steel Electrics.
Gregoire will discuss the current crisis and future needs of the Washington State Ferry System at 10 a.m. at the Seattle shipyards.
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