SEATTLE — Two more pieces of the new terminal at Colman Dock are set to open in downtown Seattle on Thursday. The update to the Washington State Ferries terminal has been in the works since 2017.
Construction added an elevated walkway between the passenger-only facility and a new entry building along Alaskan Way, as well as additional elevator access from Alaskan Way and passenger drop-off and pickup in front of the new terminal building.
The previous terminal was aging and “seismically vulnerable,” WSF said. There were concerns about the stability of the creosote-soaked pilings, many of which had been attacked by gribbles, a type of crustacean.
- 2017: Construction on the new facility begins
- Summer 2019: Passenger-only terminal building opens
- September 2019: One-third of the main terminal opens for public use
- Fall 2022: Full passenger building opens
- Summer 2023: New entry building, elevated pedestrian connector open
The main terminal Colman Dock helps service the Bainbridge and Bremerton ferry routes, while the smaller passenger-only building is used for the King County Water Taxi and the Kitsap Fast Ferry.
The updated terminal building, which opened less than a year ago, offers triple the seating capacity of the old one and more than 20,000 feet of space.
The $467 million project also included foundational work on the pier. Around 7,5000 tons of creosote-treated wood was removed from the water, new steel support piles were installed and 185 vehicle holding spaces were added.
Federal, state and local funding contributed to the financing of the Colman Dock project, while King County funded the passenger-only ferry facility.
The final piece of the project, the Marion Street pedestrian bridge, will connect 1st Avenue to Colman Dock. Work on that should be completed later this year.