WASHINGTON — The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has imposed strict vehicle limits at the Orcas Island ferry terminal after engineers found two cracked steel beams beneath the transfer span.
The emergency restrictions prevent supply trucks from accessing the island terminal, disrupting a vital transportation link for people and businesses in San Juan County.
State engineers discovered the structural damage over the weekend under the transfer span, which serves as the physical bridge connecting ferries to the dock.
In response, WSDOT prohibited all vehicles longer than 22 feet or heavier than 8,000 pounds from crossing the span.
Because the ferry system serves as a lifeline for goods moving to the San Juan Islands, the San Juan County Council declared a state of emergency to secure alternative transport.
The sudden weight restrictions immediately affected commercial operators moving equipment across the water.
Trent Johns, owner of Orcas Towing, says one of his tow trucks has been stuck in Anacortes for days.
“My truck is stuck in Anacortes because I can’t get it on the ferry,” Johns said. “So I can’t even have that truck here to make money elsewhere. I’m losing thousands of dollars.”
Community members expressed frustration over recurring ferry service disruptions in recent years. Orcas Island resident Nick Knoellinger said the local ferry system has suffered repeated outages following previous schedule cutbacks.
“Broken is an understatement,” Knoellinger said. “We saw a reduction in ferry service. And then from that point on, it’s just been an increase in the number of days that the vessels are down or out.”
Knoellinger added that the physical condition of the terminal points to broader issues with state oversight and routine maintenance.
“We look at from the view of we are not seeing preventative maintenance,” Knoellinger said.
Knoellinger noted that travel disruptions jeopardize essential health care access and personal travel.
“Where people can’t get to get to preventative health care or to get off the island to say goodbye to loved one,” Knoellinger said.
San Juan County Council member Justin Paulsen emphasized that island residents rely on continuous maritime transport for daily necessities.
“The community is dependent upon flow of those goods to meet daily needs,” Paulsen said. “We’re at a tipping point across the state and it’s ferries and it’s overall infrastructure.”
Paulsen said county leaders have contracted private barge services to deliver food and essential freight to Orcas Island during the outage. He has also engaged state and federal officials to discuss long-term infrastructure improvements aimed at preventing future terminal failures.
WSDOT officials reported that work is underway to replace the damaged steel beams under the transfer span, an engineering effort expected to take approximately two weeks. The 22-foot length limit and 4-ton weight restriction will remain in effect at the terminal until repairs are complete.