Tag Archives: Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

The Alaska Marine Highway System summer ferry schedule was released last week. Kodiak’s first arrival will be the M/V Kennicott on April 25, arriving from Homer. The M/V Tustumena will make its first trip Kodiak from Homer on May 2. This summer will see somewhat reduced service in some places. According to Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spokesperson Sam …

Kodiak Island’s last ferry of the season pulled away from the dock on Saturday, and there won’t be one returning until April. Aging vessels in need of repairs and cuts to the Alaska Marine Highway System budget have extended the service gap this year, making life for village residents more difficult in the meantime. M/V Tustumena crew finish last preparations …

Representative Louise Stutes responded forcefully to a statement last week from Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner John MacKinnon, about ferry service being a “convenience.” The M/V Aurora normally services Prince William Sound, including the communities of Cordova, Valdez and Tatitlek. (Photo by Christoph Strässler/Wikimedia Commons) “To say that the loss of our ferry service is a convenience is …

Like many parts of coastal Alaska, Kodiak Island is gearing up for a gap in ferry service this winter. While the city of Kodiak has relatively reliable alternatives for transportation to the mainland, the gap will pose serious difficulties for the some of the island’s outlying villages. The M/V Tustumena docked in Kodiak. It’s the smaller of two ferries that …

The largest union representing Alaska Marine Highway System workers voted to go on strike yesterday afternoon, effectively shutting down all state ferry service until further notice. Across the state, members of the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific walked off their vessels yesterday, including in Kodiak, where the M/V Tustumena is still docked. The Tusty was scheduled to leave Wednesday evening …

Erosion is an ever-present issue for coastal highways. It’s of particular concern for Kodiak, where a large portion of the major road system sits right alongside the ocean. Starting this spring, the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities has been working on a months-long construction project to slow the inevitable. Exposed guardrails at Mile 25.5 of the Chiniak Highway. …

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is going to be chip sealing several Kodiak roads over the coming weeks. Starting out at the end of Monashka Bay Road, road crews will work their way toward town. DOT crews can finish up to four miles of road per day, but they’ll only be working on one-mile sections at a …