Though the Louisiana shipyard building the new ferry says it will be more than five weeks late in delivering the vessel, Steamship Authority managers remain hopeful the ferry will be delivered earlier, general manager Wayne Lamson said this week.
Vineyard governor Marc Hanover wants the boat line to explore the feasibility of getting trash off the ferries and shipping it to New Bedford via private barge.
Traffic on Union street in downtown Vineyard Haven will be reversed for one month beginning Sept. 13 and running through Columbus Day weekend. A traffic committee advised the experimental reversal to see if it improves traffic flow in the downtown Vineyard Haven area.
Steamship Authority governors discussed assigning the new freight vessel Woods Hole to the Martha’s Vineyard route, possibly keeping the freight ferry Governor in service, and approved changes in the standby line for Island residents during a meeting Tuesday in Vineyard Haven.
The new freight ferry under construction and renovations to the Woods Hole ferry terminal will be topics for discussion when Steamship Authority governors hold their monthly meeting on the Vineyard Tuesday. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven.
Due to service cutbacks by the privately-owned Hy-Line, the Steamship Authority is considering a Nantucket route for the new $40 million ferry Woods Hole, now under construction in Louisiana, boat line governor Marc Hanover said.
In light of persistent traffic problems in downtown Vineyard Haven, the town is asking the Steamship Authority to look at alternative sites for the Island’s main ferry terminal. The Steamship Authority has agreed to look into the issue but has not committed to a study.