BOLIVAR — Residents of the heavily damaged Bolivar Peninsula could have electricity and water service as soon as next month after Hurricane Ike’s storm surge decimated infrastructure, homes and businesses.

Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough said Thursday that discussions with Entergy Texas, the electricity provider that had some 7,300 Bolivar Peninsula customers before the storm, could have service restored in early November.

Power meters were removed from homes, and owners must have their houses inspected before electricity is restored, Yarbrough said.

Water service is expected to be restored in the same time frame, he said.

The electrical inspection is a safety concern, Yarbrough said, with much of the peninsula’s fire response capabilities hampered or out of service.

“We’re working with the city of Galveston to provide fire protection to

Port Bolivar and Crystal Beach,” Yarbrough said. “Both Bolivar and Crystal Beach are out of commission.”

The county could cover the $160,000 monthly contract, which Yarbrough said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would reimburse.

The state continues to work on improving access to the peninsula. Yarbrough said the Department of Transportation awarded a $643,381 contract to SCR Construction for repairs to the Rollover Pass bridge at Gilchrist.

Storm surge broke the bridge surface, forcing traffic to one lane.

The contract calls for completion by Nov. 26, barring bad weather.

Bridge closures to move manpower and equipment shouldn’t block state Highway 87 access longer than 10 minutes, Yarbrough said. Contractors will work seven days a week during daylight hours to complete the job.

The Galveston-Bolivar Ferry began running again Friday.

For the first time since Hurricane Ike, the Bolivar ferry is back up and running.

It is only being used for emergency officials and first responders, said officials.

The ferry still remains closed to all nonessential traffic.

Estimates of when the ferry might accept all traffic have ranged from three to six months.

Texas Task Force 1 has temporarily stopped its search for hurricane fatalities on the peninsula. Yarbrough said the search would resume when crews resume debris removal.