Howdy again:
The following is a synopsis as of the 1 April 2020 posting by the Alaska Marine Highway System regarding the status of the State Ferries.
Two ferries are operating in localized areas within the Southeast Alaska Pan Handle only. One ferry is working north of Juneau and one ferry is working in the Ketchikan area, Two additional ferries are scheduled to return to service, one the end of May and the other in early June depending on impacts from the current work shutdowns caused by COVID-19. Three additional ferries are to come on line sometime during this summer but dates are not determined. Lastly, 4 Ferries are currently in Lay-up Status in need of both maintenance / repair funds and operating funds.
There is no Main-line ferry service north or south from or to Bellingham, Washington; no Main-line Ferry cross-gulf service from Bellingham to Whittier, no Main-line Ferry service between Homer, Alaska to / from Dutch Harbor, Kodiak and the communities along the Aleutian Islands, no Man-line Ferry service in Prince William Sound serving Whittier, Valdez and Cordova and finally, no Main-line Ferry service from Bellingham north or south and to or from Skagway, Haines, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg, Ketchikan including a number of the smaller communities served in the Southeast Panhandle.
That said, the State Legistlature did pass additional 2020 operating and maintenance / repair funds only to have the Governor line-item veto approximately 30% of the funds. Without getting into a political discourse, the Governor is currently facing a recall vote that has broad support across the state. One of the reasons is his continued cutting of funds to support the Marine Highway System. Most people don't realize that the Alaska Marine Highway System provides the only "road" access to numerous towns along our vast coastline. The Marine Highway system for many coastal areas is the Alaska equivalent of the Lower 48 States Interstate Highway System.
Lastly, driving through Canada to and from Alaska is still prohibited.
Hope this helps explains what is going on in the Last Frontier.
Dougwood1954
