Alaska Marine Highway System

Governor Walker and Heidi Drygas visit crab fest. Photo courtesy of the Walker-Drygas campaign. Listen to this story; Editor’s Note: KMXT will interview gubernatorial candidates when they campaign in Kodiak. You can find more information about the August special election, primaries and candidates for all races here. Election season is underway for Alaska’s race for governor; former governor and nonpartisan …

The M/V Tustumena docked in Kodiak. It’s the smaller of two ferries that service Kodiak Island. (Photo by Kavitha George/KMXT) Listen to this story; The M/V Tustumena had been in service for less than two weeks when it docked in Homer on July 26. According to an Alaska Department of Transportation press release, the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry had …

It’s official; the Tustumena is finally being replaced. The over-$200 million project was announced by Governor Dunleavy during a Saturday visit to Kodiak. “We’re going to be directing the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to move forward with replacing the Tustumena that has served Alaska and has been homeport here in Kodiak since 1964,” Dunleavy said. With a design 90% …

Kodiak Republican House Speaker Louise Stutes has announced two appointees to a new state ferry oversight board. That’s according to a Monday press release from the Alaska House Coalition. Shirley Marquardt and Wanetta Ayers will be stepping up to staff the recently formed Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board. Marquardt served on the Marine Transportation Advisory board for nine years, and …

Two of three of Governor Mike Dunleavy’s appointments to a new ferry oversight board are from Kodiak Island.  Gov. Dunleavy’s office announced Friday that former Kodiak lawmaker Alan Austerman and Old Harbor village corporation executive Cynthia Berns would have seats on the Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board created this year by the legislature. Austerman is a former Kodiak city police …

Sen. Gary Stevens. The Republican lawmaker has represented Kodiak since 2003. A state budget will likely be passed at the end of this month’s special legislative session, but the PFD question may not be answered by then. That’s according to Kodiak Senator Gary Stevens, who sat down with Jared Griffin at KMXT to talk about recent developments in the legislature …

May 19, 2021 by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska Alaska lawmakers passed a bill to Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday that boosters say would ensure better long-term planning for the state-run ferry system. The Alaska Marine Highway System has been struggling with deep spending cuts, an aging fleet and declining ridership as it runs fewer ships to coastal communities. But it’s also come under fire for …

by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska A ferry reform bill passed the Alaska House of Representatives 37-0 on Wednesday, with no objections from the floor. But Gov. Mike Dunleavy believes the bill violates the separation of powers clause in the Alaska Constitution. House Bill 63 would create an Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board, which would craft short- and long-term planning for Alaska’s ferry …

March 11, 2021 by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed a new bill to boost independent oversight and planning for the Alaska Marine Highway System. In a statement Wednesday, the governor said the legislation would improve the reliability and efficiency of the fleet. “As we continue efforts to restructure and modernize the Alaska Marine Highway System, it is imperative the long-term operations and finances …

February 10, 2021 by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska The ferry LeConte docks at Juneau’s Auke Bay terminal. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News) An Alaska ferry in Juneau was evacuated early Wednesday after a man drove aboard the vessel claiming he had a bomb. The LeConte was loading around 6:30 a.m. at the Auke Bay terminal for a round-trip sailing to Pelican. That’s when …