Subsidy in jeopardy: Powell ferry faces closure

The chairman of the San Juan County Commission is convinced something can be done to save the Lake Powell ferry.

State transportation officials will meet in Cedar City today and among the topics discussed will be the fate of the ferry, which runs between Bullfrog and Hall's Crossing.

The Utah Department of Transportation announced in July it can no longer afford to subsidize the ferry and likely will shut down the system, permanently, in October.

But San Juan County Commission chairman Lynn Stevens said Thursday he is confident the ferry is not doomed. He said an Aug. 31 meeting has been scheduled with UDOT, the office of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., officials from San Juan, Kane and Garfield counties and others, hopefully to devise a funding strategy to ensure the ferry's survival.

"The County Commission believes there is a way to keep it open and we believe it's part of the state transportation network just as much as some bridge somewhere would be," Stevens told the Deseret Morning News.

"I am optimistic that there is a solution that will save the ferry. . . . I don't know the details of what the final answer is, but certainly we can cut some costs there (and) potentially share some of the operating costs with the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which could result in cutting down on the number of worker trips required by UDOT to go down there occasionally."

UDOT spokesman Tom Hudachko confirmed Thursday that one of the state's largest expenses with regard to the ferry is the cost of sending workers to adjust the wedge (or ramp, which connects the ferry to land) every time the lake's water level drops. Those trips can be as frequent as once a week, Hudachko said, and the cost to UDOT has surpassed $50,000 this year.

Hudachko said two other costs — fuel and marine insurance — also have risen dramatically since 2001, when UDOT placed a second ferry in service between the two communities. That second ferry was dry docked in June and will not return to service due to the expense.

The insurance costs rose substantially after 9/11, Hudachko said, and fuel costs also have "skyrocketed" since then.

"Revenues are just flat and expenses are just on the uphill slope here, and we don't see revenues going up," Hudachko said, adding a complete shutdown in October remains possible "if we don't come to some sort of resolution on reducing the subsidy."

If San Juan County could supply workers who could move the wedge whenever needed, "that would help us a lot" and could be part of the solution, Hudachko said.