Grindle Point sinkhole stops Friday afternoon ferry service to and from Islesboro

Sarah Thompson
Fri, 03/08/2024 - 3:00pm
A Maine Dept. of Transportation crew at work at the ferry ramp on Islesboro Friday afternoon, March 8. (Photo courtesy Karin Lockwood)
Some vehicles remain parked in the Lincolnville terminal’s staging lane at the left and foreground of this picture. (Photo by Sarah Thompson)
The Quicksilver, in the foreground, gets back underway after delivering a load of pedestrians to the Lincolnville Ferry Terminal. (Photo by Sarah Thompson)
(Photo by Sarah Thompson)
(Photo by Sarah Thompson)
Grindle Point, Islesboro, March 8, 2024. (Photo courtesy Karin Lockwood)

    View an work schedule update regarding the sinkhole here: https://admin.penbaypilot.com/article/work-islesboro-sinkhole-scheduled-monday-march-18/184160

     

    ISLESBORO — The Maine Dept. of Transportation is on Islesboro this afternoon assessing a sinkhole that has opened there near the loading ramp of the Maine State Ferry dock. The sinkhole has caused a disruption in ferry service to and from Islesboro, and it has yet to be determined when it will resume. 

    The privately-owned Quicksilver, however, is making crossings from Grindle Point on Islesboro to Lincolnville Beach. That independent boat service is able to carry up to 30 passengers, but it does not transport vehicles.

    Schoolchildren who live on the mainland were safely transported back home this afternoon via the Quicksilver.

    Traffic has come to a standstill on both sides of the West Penobscot Bay ferry terminals, at Lincolnville Beach and Islesboro. Meanwhile, the ferry Richard G. Spear, filling in for the Margaret Chase Smith, which has transmission troubles, is idled in her pen on Islesboro.

    The DOT is assessing the infrastructure failure and determining what materials will be needed to fill the sinkhole.

    According to personnel at the Lincolnville station, the ferry was able to conduct all of its morning runs, up through the 11 a.m. transport. However, the 1 p.m. run was stopped when the ferry was about to dock at Grindle’s Point. It was found that a sinkhole in the road, undermined by water, prevented the offloading of vehicles. Pedestrian access was deemed a concern, as well.

    With this in mind, Maine Dept. of Transportation, which operates the ferry system, was called to the island to assess. Those MDOT assessors had not seen the significance of the hole until arrival – how deep, or what other hazards existed – delaying an immediate fix to the problem. Unknown until after the assessment was what kind of material was needed in terms of crushed rock or tar, and when and from where that material would arrive.

    In the meantime, some island residents stuck on the Lincolnville side remained nonchalant, speaking of the understanding that when choosing to live on an island, hiccups like this one tend to happen.

    This story will be updated when more details become available.

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