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Travelers make alternate plans as ferry service to Skagway remains paused indefinitely
- Natalie Buttner
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
High school cross-country and Klondike Road Relay participants are ready to run in Skagway. Will the ferry be?
By Natalie Buttner
Juneau Independent
Damage to the Skagway ferry terminal will need further assessment before a timeline for the resumption of service can be determined, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. In the meantime, tourists, locals and athletes are making alternative plans for getting to and from the town.
Cracks were first observed in the concrete abutment supporting the vehicle transfer bridge and passenger walkway on Thursday, according to Gabe Strong, a spokesperson for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
DOT engineers monitored the cracks and determined that the terminal should be closed after observing the cracks “spider-webbing out and continuing to grow.” On Saturday, AMHS and DOT issued a statement the Skagway terminal was closed and service to Skagway suspended indefinitely.
According to a statement posted on AMHS Facebook on Sunday, commercial divers are traveling to Skagway to conduct underwater inspections of the terminal’s anchor chains, and electricians have begun disconnecting electrical power to the float.
Strong said properly assessing the damage to the terminal requires using a crane and barge to remove the vehicle transfer and passenger bridges from the damaged allotment, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday.
“They can access the damaged area and start trying to figure out how deep the damage goes and how bad it is,” he said.
There are some alternative routes for those hoping to travel to and from Skagway.
For moderately higher ticket prices, private ferry companies such as the Haines Skagway Fast Ferry and Alaska Fjordlines offer alternative transportation options for passengers traveling through Skagway until mid-to-late September. Regional airlines also offer flights from Skagway Airport.
“As far as vehicle traffic, there is the option, obviously, to drive around to Haines,” Strong said.
Strong said this option isn’t ideal. Haines and Skagway are 15 miles apart by water, but 350 miles apart over land via the Klondike Highway, Alaska Highway and Haines Highway.
High school sports teams regularly use the Alaska Marine Highway to reach competitions with neighboring teams.
According to Skagway School District Activities Director Kaylie Smith, the Skagway student athletes and coaches will use Alaska Fjordlines to travel to upcoming sporting events. However, Alaska Fjordlines’ season ends on Sept. 12. If the repairs to the terminal take longer, Smith said the school district would be in a “tough situation”.
“We’ll probably just go (Alaska) Seaplanes, which is super duper expensive,” Smith said. “But at the end of September, that’s kind of where we’re going to regionals and important meets, so hopefully they get the ferry up and running by then.”
Skagway was scheduled to host a high school cross-country meet on Sept. 5. Smith said this event will probably be hosted in Haines if the terminal is not fixed.
“I think that was probably our biggest impact,” Smith said. “We were all expecting to host and watch our kids run this year, and it looks like we’ll just have to wait till next year.”
A pause in ferry service also may impact athletes participating in the Klondike Road Relay, a 175-mile race from Skagway to the Yukon capital of Whitehorse, Canada. The annual relay is scheduled for Sept. 11-12.
According to longtime race participant Don Bremner, the race involves a lot of logistics for teams. In addition to gathering 10 people willing to run through the night, each team requires accommodation and at least one support vehicle.
“This coming year is going to be my 19th year running it and there is always something with the state ferry system,” Bremner said.
Last year, the state ferry MV LeConte canceled service between Juneau and Skagway due to an engine malfunction. While the MV Hubbard and catamarans carried racers to the start, some athletes had to make alternative arrangements for their support vehicles.
Bremner said his team’s third support vehicle was scheduled to ride on the LeConte. Though they rented a car, Bremner said the expense and limited availability of rental vehicles make this an inaccessible option for many teams.
A Race Yukon spokesperson said the organization is waiting on further information from the ferry system before releasing a plan. However, Bremner and his team have already opted to send their vehicles to Haines and drive around to Skagway before the race starts.
Skagway Tourism Director Jaime Bricker recommends waiting for further updates from AMHS. The Skagway Visitors Department has created a flowchart for those traveling through Skagway and hopes to release a statement soon.
“There is so much that this affects,” Bricker said. “When you consider I’ve lived here my entire life, and how dependent we are upon the lifeline that is the Alaska Marine Highway System. I’m just really hopeful that they can get mobilized and get things fixed quickly.”
• Contact Natalie Buttner at natalieb@juneauindependent.com.
