In 2010, the Guemes Island Ferry terminal and surrounding areas will undergo construction and maintenance projects. These projects, outlined in the Guemes Island Ferry maintenance and Capital Improvement Program will take place from January - November 2010. Outlined below are project descriptions, points of contact, and corresponding project timeframes.

2010 Guemes Ferry Projects Timeline

Wingwall Maintenance and Dolphin Replacement

(Now underway) The Guemes Island Ferry wingwall, known as the wooden bumpers that cradle the Ferry while docked, will undergo maintenance at both the Anacortes and Guemes Island docks in January 2010. Skagit County will remove and replace all creosote timbers with ACZA treated timbers which will be faced with UHMW plastic so as to minimize wear. All treated wood will meet Best Management Practices in order to prolong the life of the wingwalls and minimize the leaching of contaminants. The chains that hold the wingwalls to the support piles will also be replaced. This project will have little to no impact on Ferry service.

Dolphins, known as wood and/or steel pole groupings, are used to guide the Ferry during docking procedures. In 2004, due to age and deterioration, Skagit County removed and replaced four dolphins, two at the Guemes landing and two at the Anacortes landing. In 2010, Public Works will remove and replace two more dolphins at the Guemes Island landing with new, steel dolphins faced with HDPE plastic. The project will begin in January 2010, and all in-water work should be completed by February 15.

This project is part of Skagit County's long-term Maintenance and Capital Improvement Program. This project helps bring Skagit County in compliance with Washington State legislative mandates to mitigate creosote contamination in Puget Sound by 2018. [Read Skagit County's announcement of the project and discussion of noise impacts]

How will I be impacted?

The Dolphin Replacement and Wingwall Maintenance Projects should have little to no impact on Ferry service. As the project progresses and assessments for weather and tide become a factor, service may be temporarily interrupted to enable the contractor to meet the in-water work deadline of February 15, 2010. Public Works will provide as much notice as possible should this occur.

Ferry Terminal Building

Skagit County will construct a new Ferry terminal building on the Anacortes side of the Guemes Island Ferry run. The larger, two-story building will consolidate multiple buildings into one and will be constructed south of the current terminal building. Construction will begin in late January-February 2010 and will be completed by mid August. During construction, the current building will remain fully operational until the new terminal building opens at which point the current building will be removed. With the exception of five disabled parking spaces, there will be limited parking available near the dock during construction. Funding will be provided by the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. For more information, contact David Walde at: davidw@co.skagit.wa.us

How will I be impacted?

The Terminal Building Project will eliminate all parking on the dock area through August with the exception of five disabled parking spaces at the southwest corner of the lot. This project should not affect scheduled Ferry service.

Permanent loss of parking at the dock

Ferry manager explains new ferry terminal project

Anacortes 6th Street Project

The City of Anacortes has received funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which will finance a road improvement project of 6th Street between K and I Avenues beginning March 2010. The improvements will include curb, gutter, and sidewalk reconstruction, paving, and Ferry lane striping. The 6th Street project will coordinate with other Guemes Ferry construction projects in order to minimize impacts to ridership. Construction is anticipated to be completed by March 31, 2010. Any questions related to this project should be directed to the City of Anacortes. Please contact Steve Lange at: stevel@cityofanacortes.org

Ferry Dock Rehabilitation Project

The Guemes Island Ferry docks at both Anacortes and Guemes Island do not meet Washington State sufficiency standards for bridges. Both terminals are in need of girder replacement as there is significant corrosion, cracking, and spalling from years of saltwater exposure. Girders are used to support the docks and without repair, corrosion will continue to weaken the girders making the docks unsafe.

In September 2010, Skagit County will replace the current Guemes terminal girders with new, steel girders and will also replace the concrete roadway with a new, grated roadway. The concrete support, located where the transfer span meets the roadway, will be removed and replaced in kind due to cracked and spalling concrete.

Additionally, we will install a new glass passenger waiting area at the northwest corner of the Guemes Island Dock.

In Anacortes, Public Works will remove the terminal roadway from the south end of the current terminal building to the transfer span to the north, replace nine corroded concrete girders with new steel girders, and pour a new concrete deck. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of October 2010.

Skagit County Public Works has received $2.3 million in grant funding from the Bridge Replacement Advisory Committee and the Ferry Discretionary Board for this project. The County will provide a 20 percent match for each grant received. For more information, contact Jennifer Swanson at: jennifers@co.skagit.wa.us

How will I be impacted?

The Dock Rehabilitation Project will have the most impact on ridership. Arrow Launch Services will provide passenger-only service for approximately one month; a temporary Ferry sailing schedule is being considered and may run every 45 minutes with the possibility of running two passenger ferries during peak periods on the normal sailing schedule. The temporary changes to the Ferry schedule are due to the length of the crossing time which will go from a temporary dock west of the Guemes Island ferry dock to Cap Sante Marina D dock. Several sites including Anchor Cover Marina and other port of Anacortes properties were considered; however, these other locations required significant improvements in order to meet vessel and passenger needs. Cap Sante Marina was chosen because of its parking availability, cost, and current ADA compliance. The cost of using other sites was estimated at $70,000. The cost of using Cap Sante Marina is less than $3,000.

Anacortes
Cap Sante Marina will provide parking adjacent to D dock where passenger service will be provided during the restricted 30-day period. Cap Sante is also fully ADA compliant and provides disabled parking. Cap Sante Marina is located within one block of SKAT service which will provide additional transportation service needs. Skagit County will also work with Anacortes School District to coordinate travel for students between Cap Sante Marina and local schools.

Guemes
An additional ten disabled parking spots will be available next to the Guemes dock. All other parking will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Emergency Services
During the Dock Rehabilitation Project, emergency services will be coordinated between Arrow Launch Services and the Guemes and Anacortes Fire Departments.

Public Services
Garbage and propane services will occur on the last day of vehicular travel. After this point, Skagit County will provide two additional barge service days in order to collect garbage and provide propane services to Guemes Island during the approximate 30-day outage.

Clarification Update February 24: The estimated timelines we published in our flyers for ferry construction projects in 2010 is still our best estimates.  We will continue to update our timelines as we progress but the timeline for the dock construction is very close when you consider mobilization and setup.

The actual outage of the vehicle ferry WILL NOT occur prior to October 4th. The estimated time of the vehicle ferry outage is 30-45 days. This is still our best estimate for now.  I know this is very important to everyone and I will continue to keep our communication open and again, we will update our information as we progress.

Ron Panzero
Guemes Ferry Operations Manager

Annual Ferry Boat Haul-Out

To improve reliability, lower costs, and protect capital investment, Skagit County has adopted a Maintenance Program that includes an annual dry-docking of the Guemes Island Ferry. The normal spring dry-docking schedule has moved to October 2010 to coordinate with the Ferry Dock Rehabilitation Project. With this schedule, the Ferry will be out of service only once in 2010 which will minimize passenger inconvenience. This will also save about $40,000 in passenger vessel fees. During the dry-docking, we will remove and replace one main engine, conduct ultrasound readings on the hull to determine hull thickness and life expectancy, sandblast and paint the hull, paint void spaces and superstructure, and perform other small maintenance items.

Asphalt Overlay Project
The Asphalt Overlay Project will commence once all terminal-site work, including the terminal building construction and dock rehabilitation project, is completed. The Overlay, which will resurface the northernmost point of I Avenue north to the steel bridge span, will also cover the width of the entire parking lot at the dock. All Ferry lanes and parking stalls will also be re-striped.

Pedestrian Path Relocation
In August of 2008, Skagit County negotiated an easement with Mr. Jack Hill who owns the property between the County's K Avenue parking lot and the railroad parking lot. This gave the County permanent access between the two lots. The current pathway leased from Anchor Cove Marina will remain open while the new pathway is constructed. The new pathway parallels the old path on the opposite side of the fence between the marina and Mr. Hill's property. This project will begin in April and should take approximately two weeks to complete once construction begins.
For information on the above projects, contact Ron Panzero at: ronap2@co.skagit.wa.us

Related 2010 Projects

Ferry Rates
The Skagit County Commissioners did not increase fares for the 2010 calendar year. All existing 10 and 25-trip commuter books, therefore, may be used through December 31, 2010. All multi-ride tickets purchased since November 16, 2009, will be stamped with an expiration date of December 31, 2010. All other rules related to ticket use will remain in effect.

Bio-diesel Program
Skagit County was unable to secure grant funding for the continuation of the Guemes Ferry Bio-diesel program. In an effort to lower expenditures and decrease the overall budget, the Bio-diesel program will be discontinued in 2010.

More for Less
With a tightened 2010 budget, Skagit County is committed to accomplishing more, with less. To do this, the Guemes Ferry operation will permanently operate with a three-person crew. In addition, any steel piles that are not bent from the dolphin replacement project will be recycled. Preliminary plans may use these piles at the Sinclair Island dock which is in need of repair. This will be environmentally sustainable and cost efficient.

-Skagit County Public Works