SEATTLE – Gov. Chris Gregoire on Thursday proposed retiring the state’s oldest vehicle ferries – the Steel Electrics which served the Port Townsend-Keystone route – and building replacement boats in 14 months at a cost of about $100 million.
The governor and Washington State Ferries leaders also announced that car-ferry service will resume in January on the route linking the North Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island after Pierce County agreed to lease its 54-car boat, MV Christine Anderson, to the state.
Also on Thursday, passenger ferry service began between Port Townsend and Seattle to bring in more potential customers to the Key City during the holiday season.
The vehicle vessel for the route between Port Townsend and Keystone on Whidbey Island could not be procured sooner than January because the Christine Anderson is undergoing repairs until then, said state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond.
