Kitsap Transit may soon be able to replace an aging ferry operating its Kingston-Seattle route with the help of federal funding.
The Washington-based transportation organization is expected to receive $13.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration’s Passenger Ferry Grant program toward the purchase of a new fast ferry, covering almost 80% of the $17.5 million project, it was announced Sept. 11.
Kitsap Transit would underwrite about $4 million of the project.
“This funding allows us to buy a new boat to operate a route that has been running with a backup vessel – m/v Finest – that is older and has had to go out of service repeatedly for multiple issues,” Executive Director John Clauson said. “In late August we had to suspend sailings on the route for five days because we didn’t have a working spare vessel. This funding will give us the opportunity to reduce downtime and enhance service reliability.”
Constructed in 1996 and retrofitted in 2018, the 349-passenger Finest has needed more maintenance work in recent years, according to Kitsap Transit.
A survey of the vessel concluded that the hull and engines are nearing the end of its usefulness and would cost $14 million to $17 million to keep Finest going, according to Kitsap Transit.
For about $17 million, Kitsap would be able to buy a new ferry with cleaner diesel engines and could look more similar to m/v Enetai and m/v Commander, bow-loading vessels that can each accommodate 250 passengers.
