The shipyard that will build 144-car ferries for the state submitted detailed production drawings and a price late last week. Washington State Ferries now gets two months to review the proposal, then it and Vigor Shipyards of Seattle (formerly Todd Shipyards) have 45 days to work out a final cost, said ferry system spokeswoman Marta Coursey.
The shipyard that will build 144-car ferries for the state submitted detailed production drawings and a price late last week.
Washington State Ferries (WSF) now gets two months to review the proposal, then it and Vigor Shipyards of Seattle (formerly Todd Shipyards) have 45 days to work out a final cost, said WSF spokeswoman Marta Coursey. A 2007 law allows WSF to negotiate a fair-value contract when dealing with a single bidder.
If the entire time is used, construction could begin mid-October. Vigor and subcontractors are finishing up the third and final 64-car ferry. It already has moved from Vigor in Seattle to Everett Shipyard for final outfitting. It is expected to be delivered and assigned to the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route in the fall.
Vigor spokesman Steve Hirsh said its workers can't wait.
"The guys with the hammers and welding torches are not quite ready to move into place, but they'd love to do so and we'd love for them to do so," he said.
"We are excited to build the next generation of ferry for the next generation of ferry passengers. We have the capacity to start working on that as soon as we get the green light."
Vigor won't divulge its price for a 144-car boat. The 64-car ferries cost an average of $71 million, or about $1.1 million per car slot. State leaders expect the rate to drop significantly for the bigger boats.
The Legislature allocated $122.8 million in the 2011-13 transportation budget to build a new 144-car ferry. A 25-cent-per-ticket surcharge will generate an additional $6.6 million a year. The state already has spent $69.4 million, primarily for propulsion systems and design.
Rep. Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor, is thinking the cost should be half as much per car space as the 64-car ferries.
"We've already paid for all the design work and part of the machinery," he said. "I would expect to come in under $70 (million). I think it would be unacceptable if the high end of the bid was up at the range of the 64s. I can't imagine why things would be that high."
The Legislature so far has funded one 144-car ferry. The contract with the consortium of Vigor, J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island is to build up to four boats, Hirsh said. Washington State Ferries' long-range plan calls for only two, both to be delivered in 2014. They would likely be shared among three routes, depending on the season — Mukilteo-Clinton, Seattle-Bremerton and the San Juan Islands. That would be the end of new ferries until 2027.
Seaquist said he and other Pierce County leaders are worried that Vigor might be interested in breaking up the consortium, and he said they sent a letter reminding Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond of the arrangement.
The shipyard that will build 144-car ferries for the state submitted detailed production drawings and a price late last week.
Washington State Ferries (WSF) now gets two months to review the proposal, then it and Vigor Shipyards of Seattle (formerly Todd Shipyards) have 45 days to work out a final cost, said WSF spokeswoman Marta Coursey. A 2007 law allows WSF to negotiate a fair-value contract when dealing with a single bidder.
If the entire time is used, construction could begin mid-October. Vigor and subcontractors are finishing up the third and final 64-car ferry. It already has moved from Vigor in Seattle to Everett Shipyard for final outfitting. It is expected to be delivered and assigned to the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route in the fall.
Vigor spokesman Steve Hirsh said its workers can't wait.
"The guys with the hammers and welding torches are not quite ready to move into place, but they'd love to do so and we'd love for them to do so," he said.
"We are excited to build the next generation of ferry for the next generation of ferry passengers. We have the capacity to start working on that as soon as we get the green light."
Vigor won't divulge its price for a 144-car boat. The 64-car ferries cost an average of $71 million, or about $1.1 million per car slot. State leaders expect the rate to drop significantly for the bigger boats.
The Legislature allocated $122.8 million in the 2011-13 transportation budget to build a new 144-car ferry. A 25-cent-per-ticket surcharge will generate an additional $6.6 million a year. The state already has spent $69.4 million, primarily for propulsion systems and design.
Rep. Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor, is thinking the cost should be half as much per car space as the 64-car ferries.
"We've already paid for all the design work and part of the machinery," he said. "I would expect to come in under $70 (million). I think it would be unacceptable if the high end of the bid was up at the range of the 64s. I can't imagine why things would be that high."
The Legislature so far has funded one 144-car ferry. The contract with the consortium of Vigor, J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island is to build up to four boats, Hirsh said. Washington State Ferries' long-range plan calls for only two, both to be delivered in 2014. They would likely be shared among three routes, depending on the season — Mukilteo-Clinton, Seattle-Bremerton and the San Juan Islands. That would be the end of new ferries until 2027.
Seaquist said he and other Pierce County leaders are worried that Vigor might be interested in breaking up the consortium, and he said they sent a letter reminding Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond of the arrangement.