The Coupeville Ferry will be shut down this weekend, May 2-3, in order to complete needed repairs to the Coupeville terminal.

The closure is planned and dates were approved by community leaders.

Repairs will be made to the transfer span, or ramp, which broke last fall and a temporary fix was put in place until now.

“You may remember the emergency closure at the Coupeville terminal on Sept. 25, 2014,” said Lynne Griffith, with Washington State Department of Transportation in a prepared statement. “We suspended service on the Port Townsend/Coupeville route for several hours to make temporary repairs to a worn-out transfer span hinge that was discovered by a crewmember during routine ferry operations.

“The weekend closure on May 2-3 will permanently replace the damaged transfer span hinge, helping to ensure years of reliable service.”

During the closure, crews contracted with Washington State Ferries will replace a worn-out, 28,000 pound hinge; and a 21-foot-long, 15-foot-wide moveable bridge used to connect docked ferries to the terminal.

Customers wishing to take the Port Townsend/Coupeville ferry will be detoured around the route closure via the Mukilteo/Clinton and Edmonds/Kingston ferry routes. Detour maps and travel directions will be posted at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries, on the vessels and at terminals.