Wrangell Sentinel -

The state now plans to spend an estimated $8 million to replace wasted steel on the ferry Matanuska. If the repairs can be completed in time, the ship could be available by late summer or early fall if it is needed to fill in on Southeast routes.

The work at the Vigor shipyard in Ketchikan had not started as of March 28, although the Alaska Marine Highway System’s timeline presented to legislators that day showed the Matanuska work was to have started in March.

A much larger, $37.5 million project of safety and environmental upgrades to the 60-year-old ship is tentatively scheduled for 20...