Skagway Ferry Terminal Set to Reopen After 26-Day Closure

Skagway's ferry terminal is on track to reopen today, ending a 26-day closure that pushed vehicle traffic onto the highway through Canada in the final weeks of the season. The Alaska Marine Highway System said in a Sept. 8 service notice that the terminal remained on track to reopen Thursday, Sept. 10, "pending completion of the remaining work and final operational checks." Hubbard and LeConte schedules change from today. Sailings are listed at FerryAlaska.com or 800-642-0066.

During the closure, the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities routed vehicle traffic through Canada between Skagway and Haines and sent foot passengers to private operators providing supplemental service.

Crews finished "repairs to all 19 anchor chains securing the terminal float," the notice said. Hamilton Construction reset the vehicle transfer bridge and passenger gangway on Monday. Electricians were restoring power to the float.

The work matched a project already out to bid. An April 18, 2025 public notice proposed replacing deteriorated anchor chain at 19 locations and four steel cable tie-backs to "increase the longevity of the existing facility and improve safety for the traveling public." A Feb. 12, 2026 notice put construction as early as late spring 2026 and told the town that "potential closure to the AMHS ferry facility could occur during construction for up to one week." The eventual outage ran 26 days. The federally funded solicitation, advertised July 20, says the project "will replace all anchor chains on the ferry terminal float system," estimated between $1 million and $2.5 million with completion due by Dec. 31, 2027. Kirk Miller of DOT&PF said in June the project awaited federal funding approval he expected within about a week.

Cracks appeared Aug. 13 in the concrete abutment supporting the transfer bridge and walkway. The department closed the terminal Aug. 15 "due to further cracking occurring," after the Hubbard completed its call under observation. No injuries, vessel contacts or environmental releases were reported. Officials said it was premature to attribute the damage to a specific cause before inspections concluded. Divers inspected the anchor-chain system. A crane and barge lifted off the bridge and walkway. Bids on the planned project closed Aug. 18, three days after the closure. The state has not said whether that contract was awarded, or what becomes of it now that all 19 chains have been replaced under an emergency contract.

Marine Highway Director Craig Tornga, the only official quoted in department releases, said on Aug. 19 the terminal would not reopen "until the float is stable, the abutment is repaired, and our engineers determine the facility is safe." That day's repair plan called for replacing only six anchor chains. No public update explains when or why the scope grew to all 19. The department's release index ends Aug. 21.

The record rests entirely on state documents. No Skagway resident, business, municipal official or private operator appears in them, and the emergency contract's value is undisclosed. The closure fits a wider Alaska pattern of aging marine infrastructure forcing short-notice shutdowns that hit coastal travel, freight and local economies.