Deliveries of food and equipment might be harder to come by on Orcas Island this week, after Washington State Ferries discovered cracks over the weekend on the moving ramp between shore and ship.
The state announced Monday afternoon that vehicles 22 feet or longer are banned until the damage can be repaired or reinforced. Passenger cars and pickups can still travel there.
There's no timetable yet to restore truck trips, but engineers will take a further look Tuesday and start considering a repair plan.
WSF photos show separate arc-shaped cracks on a pair of structural steel beams, beneath the pavement, that support the roadway lengthwise. Workers discovered them during a routine weekend inspection, done every two years, spokesperson Dana Warr said.
A similar inspection this weekend at neighboring Lopez Island found no problems, Warr said.
In addition to the prohibition on larger vehicles, drivers of all vehicles are being told to go 5 mph or slower, and to use the east side of the ramp (left while boarding a ferry, right while unloading onto Orcas Island).
Vehicles longer than 22 feet will not be loaded in Anacortes, Shaw, Lopez or San Juan (Friday Harbor) islands for sailings to Orcas. More than 16,000 vehicles over 22 feet traveled last year between Orcas Island and Anacortes, or an average 45 per day.
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