Course correction for Washington State Ferries

OLYMPIA — During the 2008 session, the Washington State Senate confirmed a new Secretary of Transportation and a new Assistant Secretary for the Ferries Division. Yesterday, those new officials got a new set of sailing orders as Senate Bill 6932, sponsored by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, was signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

“I think that new leadership is going to make a big difference,” said Haugen, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. “But I also believe that some enhanced legislative guidance will help as well.”

SB 6932 requires Washington State Ferries (WSF) to adopt the recommendations of the 2007 Joint Transportation Committee ferry study, including the development of specific plans that address various aspects of their operations.

The immediate impact of the legislation will be to require WSF to develop a vessel rebuild and replacement plan that provides a timeline for vessel acquisition and identifies future capital needs.

WSF will also be required to develop a vessel maintenance and preservation program that takes a vessel’s or terminal’s entire life-cycle cost into account. It will include developing a vessel deployment plan to ensure that the fleet is being used as efficiently as possible, measures to maximize efficiency by reducing dry-dock time, and notifying the legislature of any vessels not being maintained according to its established schedule.

A longer term aspect of the bill includes a Joint Transportation Committee review of WSF’s service standards, ridership forecasts, operational strategies, terminal design standards, a long range capital plan, an updated life cycle cost model, and vessel rebuild and replacement plans. Also required will be a vessel sizing study, a review of maintenance expenditures, and a 2009 evaluation of WSF’s vessel maintenance and preservation program.

“Some people might say that we shouldn’t have to legislate these kinds of things,” said Haugen. “But Washington State Ferries operated under quite a bit of autonomy in the past — and I don’t think that worked out very well. I think the new leadership will appreciate having some specific policies in place, and that the public will be well served by this legislation.”

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