SS Badger Lake Michigan car ferry could be a step closer to return. Here's the latest.

Patti Zarling, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
Updated ·2 min read
The S.S. Badger arrives in port, Thursday, May 18, 2023, in Manitowoc, Wis.

MANITOWOC — The S.S. Badger is one step closer to hitting the waves now that work on its broken ramping system could begin as early as this week.

Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc., which owns the Badger, said it has received the final federal approval to get started on the massive project.

The car ferry’s 70th season was cut short in mid-July after a mechanical failure of its ramping system in Ludington, Michigan. The Badger carries thousands of vehicles and passengers from Ludington to Manitowoc across Lake Michigan from May through October each year.

Lake Michigan Carferry ended the boat’s 2023 season after learning repairs to the counterweight structure on the port side of the boat’s ramping system would take months.

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This week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave the project the green light after extensive engineering work and planning, according to a news release from Lake Michigan Carferry. The Michigan Department of Environment and Great Lakes and Energy have already approved the repairs.

“We’re very excited to receive the much-anticipated federal and state permits to start construction on the lifting mechanism for the apron here in Ludington,” said company General Manager Sara Spore, in the release. “It’s a major step forward in the concerted effort to get the Badger back underway to serve our port communities and carry passengers and transport freight across our marine highway on Lake Michigan.”

Lake Michigan Carferry has engaged key Great Lakes marine partners to lead the construction effort for the extensive project, she said.

Al Bufka Construction Inc. from Manistee, Michigan, is expected to be onsite this week to start site preparation and demolition of the port-side counterweight. The King Construction Co., out of Holland, Michigan, and Underwater Construction Corp., plan to complete extensive below-water work before winter ice sets in.

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The full-scale project is expected to take several months to complete.

“With the season ending unexpectedly this year, we cannot wait to welcome everyone back in the spring of 2024,” Spore said in the release. “We’re excited and looking forward to it.”

Got a tip, question or comment for Streetwise Manitowoc? Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@gannett.com or call 920-606-2575. Follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: SS Badger Lake Michigan car ferry ramp work begins in Ludington, Mich.