(SitNews) - The Alaska Department of Transportation and the Municipality of Skagway closed the Skagway Ferry Terminal until further notice Thursday after the floating dock used by Alaska Marine Highway ferries submerged the morning of Thursday, April 24th, and is inoperable to all traffic.

The cause for the submersion is still unknown. Alaska DOT&PF is actively investigating the incident.

The Alaska Department of Transportation is working toward salvaging and repairing the Skagway Ferry Terminal dock. The dock, which was still submerged Friday, is stabilized on the seafloor. All contaminants have been removed from the dock and oil booms remain deployed as a precautionary measure.

When a salvage and repair plan has been determined, Alaska DOT&PF will issue a request for proposal seeking a contractor to recover, repair and bring the dock back to serviceable use. Once a contract is in place, recovery efforts will begin immediately.

All Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) sailings to Skagway for the next two weeks have been canceled. AMHS explored interim ferry service to the community and determined that a viable alternative for both vehicle and walk-on traffic is not available. Ferry service to Haines will continue as previously scheduled.

Updates will be posted at FerryAlaska.com. AMHS staff is contacting affected passengers.

For ferry schedule information, please call your local terminal by dialing 1-907-465-3941 or toll-free at 1-800-642-0066.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 254 airports, 11 ferries serving 35 communities, 5,619 miles of highway and 720 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska.

Source of News: 

name
www.

SitNews ©2014
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

Articles & photographs that appear in SitNews may be protected by copyright and may not be reprinted without written permission from and payment of any required fees to the proper sources.