Officials consider changing ferry system into public company

Stakeholders in a project to reimagine the Alaska Marine Highway System are preparing to pitch their plan to turn the system into a public corporation.

The Ketchikan Daily News reports that the committee leading the Southeast Conference effort to change the struggling ferry system met Tuesday with commissioners of the Alaska Department of Transportation to discuss their plan to create a public corporation similar to the Alaska Railroad Corp.

DOT Commissioner Marc Luiken says he still has some questions about the plan, but it makes sense to transition the ferry system to a public corporation.

Officials have been considering the transition since May, when Southeast Conference signed a memorandum of understanding with Gov. Bill Walker and secured $250,000 from DOT for the work.

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