Mechanical failure pauses Keller Ferry service Friday

James Hanlon, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·2 min read

Aug. 11—The Keller Ferry, which connects state Highway 21 across the Columbia River, was taken out of service Friday morning over mechanical failure.

The ferry was fixed and was expected to return to service around 6 p.m., said Ryan Overton, a spokesman for Washington Department of Transportation. In an update on WSDOT's twitter.com page, the ferry resumed operation at 6:50.

One of the ship's fuel injectors lost its tip, which caused the failure, Overton said. All six injectors have been replaced.

A technician traveled from Seattle to fix the problem.

The ferry, M/V Sanpoil, parks overnight on the south bank of the river. Crews discovered the issue when they fired up the engine at 6 a.m.

The ferry links the town of Wilbur in Lincoln County to Keller on the Colville Indian Reservation and Republic in Ferry County.

Alternate routes are state highways 174 and 155 through Coulee Dam, or state Highway 25 to the east over Fort Spokane Bridge to the Inchelium-Gifford Ferry.

The state operates the ferry as a free service from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

Service is on demand, avoiding unnecessary empty runs. The ferry crew can observe both landings and remain at the north or south landing until a vehicle appears needing to cross in either direction.

The M/V Sanpoil began service in 2013. The 116-foot vessel can carry up to 20 cars, with a maximum of 149 passengers and two crew members.

Approximately 60,000 vehicles travel on the Keller Ferry each year, according to WSDOT. Walk-on passengers are few, since it is on a rural highway. Susan Metz, manager of the Keller Ferry Marina and Campground, said campers like to ride the ferry back and forth with their children for fun.

James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.