State troopers called in to mitigate Kingston ferry traffic

Some relief is on the way for Kingston residents who say the ferry lines have gotten so bad that they can’t get in and out of their homes or businesses.

State troopers will start working dedicated shifts where they’ll hand out ferry boarding passes during peak hours.

WS Ferries: Kingston terminal and cameras

“We’re going to get into a system where there are troopers scheduled to be there during those known busy times, explained Ian Sterling with Washington State Ferries. “It used to be an on-call system where the line would form and then we’d call. That leads to a delay in how fast we can respond.”

Sterling said there are some long-term plans, like a new holding area outside of downtown Kingston, but they are years away.

While the addition of troopers should help traffic flow more smoothly on busy, summer days, Sterling said it’s not a fail-safe solution.

“If there’s some unforeseen event that we didn’t predict that wasn’t scheduled for, we’ll still have the ability to call on law enforcement and have them come in and direct traffic,” Sterling said. “Of course, there could be a delay with that. This doesn’t fix everything, but it should help.”

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