Temporary weight and length restrictions on vehicles have been lifted, but drivers are limited to the east side of the bridge when loading and unloading as crews finish critical repairs over the next few days. The transportation department had announced Friday that repairs were delayed by weather and high winds, and that crews had discovered additional damage to other parts of the bridge.

The trouble began last week during a routine inspection, when engineers found cracks in the terminal's transfer span—the bridge that connects ferries to the island. Vehicles weighing more than 8,000 pounds and measuring longer than 22 feet were barred from boarding ferries to Orcas, a restriction that hit trucks carrying food, fuel, medicine, and waste.

The transportation department initially said Tuesday that repairs could take up to two weeks, a timeline that alarmed residents, local leaders, and business owners. The county council responded by asking Gov. Bob Ferguson to consider direct financial support for local businesses.

For shopkeepers, the disruption has meant late deliveries and improvised workarounds. Nasir Shaw, a duty manager at Orcas Village Store, said vendors have been using smaller vehicles to get goods to the island.

"We're getting our deliveries late," Shaw said.

On Wednesday, Orcas Island Market posted on social media that a barge had delivered 22,000 pounds of groceries to the island after regular ferry travel was interrupted.

The episode highlights the vulnerability of island communities that depend on a single marine highway for essentials. While traffic is moving again, the county's emergency declaration and the request for state aid underscore that the economic ripple effects—lost sales, spoiled goods, and higher shipping costs—may linger well after the last repair is finished.

Transportation officials said crews will continue working in the coming days to complete the repairs, and drivers should expect the one-side loading restriction until that work is done.