Drivers face big changes at Colman ferry dock in Seattle
Sep 26, 2018, 5:58 AM
(KIRO Radio, Chris Sullivan)
(KIRO Radio, Chris Sullivan)
Drivers who use the Colman Dock in Seattle will notice the first of several changes Wednesday. More will come this fall as the construction zone around the ferry terminal expands.
Holding lanes for Brainbridge Island and Bremerton will move to a new location and shrink down — space at the dock will be minimized. The holding lanes for Bainbridge Island will shift to the south side of the terminal building where drivers waiting to board for Bremerton have generally waited. Drivers waiting to board for Bremerton will move to the north side where Bainbridge drivers have waited. Washington State Ferries says the swap will maximize space and reduce loading conflicts.
The shift will mean seven fewer cars in the Bainbridge holding lanes and 30 fewer cars for the Bremerton holding lanes.
RELATED: 2K reports of ferry drivers cutting in line
“There will be less and less room on the dock to hold waiting traffic, especially north of the terminal building where most of the demolition and construction will occur,” Construction Engineer Bryant Bullamore said in a news release. “We know this may be confusing at first, especially for people who regularly drive onto Colman Dock. However, reconfiguring the available space for waiting vehicles makes it possible for us to replace the aging and seismically-vulnerable terminal, while accommodating as many cars as possible.”
Washington State Ferries says the ships on each run will also swap slips. Bremerton will pull in and push out of Slip 3 (to the north) and Bainbridge will pull in and push out of Slip 2 (center slip).
Ferry riders should expect an upcoming slip closure that will affect sailings in October. Read details here.
The ferry routes are heavily relied upon by commuters who work in Seattle, but live in Bremerton or on Bainbridge Island. They are among the most heavily-used ferry routes in Puget Sound. In 2017, the Bainbridge route had 6.5 million riders which is about 27 percent of all the rides on the entire ferry system in Washington state, making it the most traveled route. The Bremerton route had about 2.8 million, or about 11 percent of statewide ridership.
