Ferry to close this month for inspection

The ferry Wahkiakum will have to go to drydock this month for a US Coast Guard inspection, Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen said this week.

Ringen hoped to have details of the closure settled next week.

The US Coast Guard rejected a county appeal for a deadline extension for the inspection.

The county had planned to have the inspection done this winter during an anticipated reconstruction of the ferry ramp and landing on Puget Island. The county is ready to go to bid on the project, but it is still awaiting final permit approval from federal agencies.

The Coast Guard had already extended the inspection deadline one time into late January. The Coast Guard is requiring the inspection by March 1.