Guest Commentary: Ideas to revise the ferry system

In early August an ad-hoc meeting was held in Ketchikan by a group consisting of knowledgeable residents who had followed the Alaska Marine Highway Service (AMHS) since its inception in the early 1960s. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how to revise the system. We addressed AMHS maintenance: when vessels are taken out of service, why can’t they be promptly repaired? They could then be made ready for service. We discussed using money made available to AMHS through the Infrastructure Legislation to restructure the system. Finally, we discussed the need to re-establish the Prince Rupert...