Petersburg Pilot -

The Alaska Marine Highway System’s fall, winter and spring 2016-2017 schedule is now available online for public review. The comment period opened in May 19 and runs until June 22.

Because the AMHS is such an important means of transportation for many communities this time allows the public opportunity to review and comment on the proposed schedule.

“There are no major changes from this year to the previous year,” said Jeremy Woodrow, Alaska Department of Transportation spokesman. “There are less service weeks planned and that is because the budget will be a little less than the prior year.”

The changes will come from scheduled overhaul layup periods. However, the changes will be minor compared to budget cuts faced last year.

One of the major layup periods for Petersburg residents to keep in mind will be the Matanuska entering overhaul from November to mid-December. This will reduce local service during that six-week window of winter.

“That’s really the only service gap you’ll see, and you’ll still have the mainliner coming through,” Woodrow said.

The schedule available online is based on the budget passed by the legislature, but the budget has yet to be signed. Woodrow does not foresee any reason the budget will not be signed as is, but wants to remind the public changes would be made if changes to the budget were made.

The schedule and accompanying documents can be accessed online at ferryalaska.com under the “Service Notices” tab on the May 19 announcement. Written comments will be accepted prior to June 21 via fax at 228-6874 or, preferably, by email at dot.amhs.comments@alaska.gov.

A public teleconference to hear additional comments and consider adjustments is scheduled Wednesday, June 22 at 10 a.m. for Southeast schedules and at 1:30 p.m. for Southwest and Southcentral schedules. The toll free number to participate in the teleconference is 1-800-315-6338, conference code 03902#.