Lummi Island Ferry to operate under restrictions due to wind damage

The Lummi Island Ferry,The Whatcom Chief will be operating under restrictions while  wind damage to the dock on the island side is repaired.

Ferry service to Lummi Island was suspended Wednesday evening at approximately 7:19 pm.because of high wind,  An attempt to resume service was made a few hours later but the conditions were deemed too dangerous to continue.
 
When the ferry was in dock at the Lummi Island side, damage was observed to the docking system.Damage has been observed to the wing wall portion of the Lummi Island dock.  The damage is significant enough to institute a weight restriction of five (5) Tons effective immediately and will continue until further notice.  This means that standard automobiles and light trucks will still be able to utilize the system during designated hours.

Additional restrictions include operation hours because the damage will not allow vehicle transit below a five (5) foot tide level.  This means that vehicle traffic on the Ferry will continue until approximately 6:00 PM tonight (Thursday 11-19 )- it is anticipated that the final ferry departure from Gooseberry Point with vehicle loads will be at 6:00 PM tonight.

Please note that the regular schedule will continue tonight(Thursday 11-19) with passengers only after that point.

Schedule for Friday, November 20:

Regular transit of light vehicle use is anticipated from 5:40 AM through the day with the last vehicle traffic from Gooseberry Point to Lummi Island at 7:40 PM.  Passenger only traffic will be allowed after that point on the regular schedule.

ALL of this change in operations is subject to wind loadings.  If significant wind is encountered at any time, ferry operations will be suspended until it is deemed safe to operate and safe to utilize the dock.

There are  power outages on the Island and Puget Sound Power will be provided priority transit as soon as inspections determine the systems are safe for normal operations.


Contact:
Frank Abart, Director Public Works
322 N. Commercial St. Ste. 210
Bellingham, WA 98225
Phone: (360)-676-6876
Fax: (360) 738-4561

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