Ferries

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Background

The northwestern part of the State of Washington has a long body of water connected to the Pacific Ocean and extended inland, and then north and south. The part extending south is called Puget Sound, and divides the main part of the state from the Olympic Peninsula to the west. Many of the largest cities in the state, including Seattle and Tacoma, are on the east side of Puget Sound, but Bremerton and smaller communities are on the west side of the sound. There are also several inhabited islands in Puget Sound.

There is a bridge across a narrow part of the sound at Tacoma, and some other bridges connecting a few of the islands with one shore or the other, but most of the transportation on the sound is by ferry boat. The State operates most of the ferries, under an organization called the Washington State Ferries, which is a part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. The ferry system is considered to be a part of the state highway system.

Recently there have been a number of problems in the ferry system, including boats breaking down, boats pulled out of service for repairs, resulting in disruptions in service, leaving many commuters stranded or late for work.

News

I don’t have any news at this time. Actually a lot has been happening regarding ferries, but I haven’t had time to compile the information.

My Opinions

I think more should be invested in new ferries to replace aging and unreliable boats.

I am also in favor of building a few smaller boats to operate before and after the busier times so that ferry service will be available for more hours of the day. The smaller boats could also supplement the larger boats as needed during higher-than-usual traffic loads.


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©2002 Robert M. Fleming Jr.

This page was last updated 16 May 2018.

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