On the day he left Alaska, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took Alaska’s latest ferry service from Haines up to Skagway. But within hours of when Buttigieg and Sen. Lisa Murkowski and their staff stepped off the MV Hubbard the ferry had stopped operating. One of the generators was shutting down periodically.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”In the majority in the fleet of ferry boats, the thing we’re worried about is the age of the vessel,” Buttigieg said. “Having an updated vessel doesn’t mean there is to it. It is important to ensure that we’re establishing the right framework for maintenance, operations and capital plans can work smoothly. .”
Buttigieg has spent three days exploring Alaska. He visited Kotzebue, Anchorage, Haines and Skagway while learning about the needs of Alaska’s transportation and highlighting projects that were made possible through federal infrastructure funding.
His final stop was The Juneau International Airport, which received almost $3.5 million of funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. On the tarmac of the Alaska Seaplanes terminal, Buttigieg talked in general terms about his ferry service.
The bill has allocated greater than 285 million dollars in funding to Alaska Marine Highway System. Alaska Marine Highway System. The money will be used for numerous projects including upgrading four boats, rehabilitating the MV Tustumena as well as upgrading the docks for rural communities. infrastructure, and providing services to communities in rural areas.
The projects will require a match by the state, which is around $105 million. The state claims it will match the funds with a variety of sources.
“States who show a good amount of skin on their side are usually in a position to gain more support from the federal other side.” Buttigieg said.
However, Murkowski acknowledged that staffing remains a problem to the system of ferry. Reservations center hours were cut this month because of staff shortages. They’re only taking reservations until February. 2024 due to the shortage of crew.
“You cannot operate a ferry – regardless of whether it’s running in good condition or is an older vessel that’s 50 years old and you’re unable to operate it without men and women who are on it,” Murkowski stated.
The ferry system could be able to draw many more sources of federal funds. The afternoon before the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that 6,500 miles of navigable waterways throughout the southwestern and northern regions of Alaska will become part of the United States Marine Highway Program.
“When you sign up to the Marine Highway program, it means you’re a part of a nationwide designation that could mean more access to grant funding as well as the attention of policy makers,” Buttigieg said.
Although the designation does not bring ferry service to the ports on rivers and coastal areas in these regions The Transportation Department says it could provide the possibility of funding towards future construction projects southwest Alaska and northwestern Alaska.
