Work starts on new ferry ramp

The $3 million ferry ramp replacement project for the Wahkiakum ferry is finally underway. The plan has taken six years and hundreds of sometimes frustrating man hours to set in motion.

“This all started before I got here,” said Wahkiakum Public Works Director Pete Ringen. He said just getting the ramp’s design right and the permits to build the structure were what took so long.

Ringen said after the commissioners hired him he spoke with them to define and clarify any problems and to make sure the original ferry ramp plan they had approved was what the plan the commissioners actually wanted.

“The design concept at the time was a cookie-cutter design of what we have now,” said Ringen.

As county officials gathered comments, they learned that the ramp’s existing configuration had problems. At low tide, the ramp’s angle makes it almost impossible for cars or trucks to board the ferry without scraping the rear bumper.

The ferry dock approach was also a problem.

“Vehicles of a certain size or length simply couldn’t make the turn on to the ramp leading to the ferry,” said Ringen.

The commissioners held discussions with Ringen and the engineers working on the plan to find a solution to the problems related to building the new ferry dock.

“We wanted to make sure what we were building would also work for us into the future,” said Ringen.

The commissioners all agreed what they were proposing for the new ferry ramp should last at least another 50-60 years.

“That put us into the mode of seeking additional funding,” said Ringen. “The changes also put us into the mode of doing some redesign and upgrading the permits.”

The changes came with more problems. Ringen said the commissioners were truly “amazed” by how a very, very modest change in the size of the new ferry ramp seemed to set off all kinds of alarm bells with officials from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

"They got so excited about this project and its impact, in fact,” said Ringen, “they threatened to call it a jeopardy project. To the best of everyone’s knowledge no other project in the State of Washington had ever been classified like that before.”

Ringen said the county’s plans were in gridlock for 18 months, but eventually the Washington State Department of Transportation intervened on behalf of the county and told the NMFS to get real.

“The Dept of Transportation eventually talked sense to the NMFS,” said Ringen, and the county was able to get the needed permits to begin construction on the ferry ramp.

NMFS complained the new ramp’s length was double that of the old one and created a place for salmon predation.

“They didn’t like that the new ramp would cover more of the water and create a place for animals like seals to hide,” said Ringen.

The county was surprised by the argument because Fish and Wildlife had always encouraged the county to create shade along streams and rivers.

“I was always told that’s why Fish and Wildlife encourages the growth of brush, trees and natural vegetation along the shoreline,” said Ringen.

The new ramp is being funded through state and federal grants. The ramp will be longer and have new pontoons. The wider approach will also make turning onto the ferry ramp safer for both the dock and the vehicle.

Bergerson Construction of Astoria is currently installing a new temporary ramp in front of the old one. The new ramp gets 21 new concrete piles and 54 steel pilings. The pilings are 100 feet long and are being vibrated into the mud.

Currently the ramp construction schedule calls for a two-day shut down of the ferry in February, times to be arranged. The shutdown will allow the construction crew to switch the loading ramp to the new temporary one. Ringen said the shutdown serves a dual purpose. It also allows mechanics to rebuild the port engine on the Ferry Wahkiakum.

Ringen said his staff will try and keep the Public Works page on the county website updated to let commuters know what’s happening with the ferry schedule.