SEATTLE — The Seattle to Bainbridge Island ferry route will be closed to vehicles for six days between Sept. 7 and Sept. 13 for overhead walkway replacement work.
The work will replace the existing overhead wooden walkway at the Bainbridge ferry terminal with a wider, safer concrete structure that is built to the current seismic code, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. The vehicle holding area will be used as a staging and work zone during the six-day closure.
This is the longest-ever closure at the Bainbridge ferry terminal, but WSDOT said there have been similar closures due to major projects at other ferry terminals.
The Seattle-Bainbridge route will operate on a one-boat schedule for walk-on passengers beginning on that Thursday at one a.m. and lasting until three a.m. on Sept. 13. Extra staff will be on hand to help with an anticipated uptick in walk-on ridership.
The closure to vehicles on the Seattle-Bainbridge route will also apply to bicycles and electric scooters during the walkway replacement. WSDOT said with anticipated higher pedestrian volumes, it is not safe to accommodate pedestrians, bicycles and scooters all inside ferry and terminal waiting areas at the same time.
When staffing and vessel availability allows, Washington State Ferries will be adding an extra boat to the Edmonds-Kingston ferry route, the second boat that typically travels Seattle-Bainbridge, to accommodate extra vehicle travel. The extra boat will not run on a set schedule.
Customers who have single or multi-ride tickets for the Seattle-Bainbridge Island route will be able to use them on the Edmonds-Kingston, Seattle-Bremerton or Fauntleroy-Southworth routes at no extra cost.
Those planning to park on either side of the route are asked to arrive early and have alternate plans as there will be stiff competition for those spots. Washington State Ferries has 86 spots at the Bainbridge terminal, Kitsap Park and Ride offers 150 spaces and the streets of downtown Winslow are off-limits to commuter parking.