Pierce County’s ferry service between Steilacoom, Anderson Island and Ketron Island will undergo several changes starting Jan. 1.
Runs will be added, shifted and canceled. Several times for service to Ketron Island will be altered.
The changes:
• A new Thursday night run departing the Steilacoom ferry terminal at 8:40 p.m. will be added for weeknight school and other off-island activities during the nonpeak season from Oct. 1 through April 30.
• The Sunday run departing Steilacoom at 10 p.m. will be canceled during the nonpeak season to offset the cost of adding the 8:40 p.m. Thursday sailing.
• The daily 10:20 a.m. run from Steilacoom will be moved to 10 a.m. to accommodate ferry maintenance.
• From July 1 through Labor Day, the 10 p.m. run from Steilacoom on Friday nights will move to 11 p.m. for off-island activities and weekend visitors.
• The morning run on the first and third Wednesday of the month to take fuel to Anderson Island for residents will move from noon-10 a.m.
• Ketron Island will see several service adjustments. They include moving the midmorning run from 10:20 a.m.-noon and moving to later departure times on Thursday through Sunday nights.
The new schedule will increase costs by $1,700, extending service between July 1 and Labor Day. No fare increase is planned for 2013.
The revisions are being made in part due to feedback from a ferry passenger survey completed in May. Also included was input from county staff, the Pierce County Ferry Committee, two public meetings and customer feedback.
The Steilacoom ferry terminal was renovated this year and reopened in May. A $470,000 remodeling project closed it for nearly five months.
The ferry service between the Town of Steilacoom and Anderson and Ketron islands had about 380,000 individual boardings in 2011.
For more information, visit piercecountywa.org/ferry.
Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647 steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/street @TNTstevemaynard
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