Major Construction Starts Today At Main Ferry Dock In Seattle

SEATTLE, WA - Ferry commuters and ferry-lovers should be aware of major changes coming to the Colman Dock in downtown Seattle. Starting Monday, construction crews will close the north half of the terminal, shifting on-boarding and off-boarding patterns.

The biggest change to be aware of: the Colman Dock waiting area will get smaller. When the parking area outside the loading docks fill up, cars will be directed to a spillover lot at Pier 48.

"Drivers should plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before their scheduled sailing to accommodate the smaller dock, especially during peak commute times. These changes are needed so crews can rebuild the north half of the dock while continuing construction of the new terminal building and the passenger-only ferry facility on the south half," WSDOT said in a bulletin about the changes.

Crews will be replacing the pylons that support the north half of the dock. The work will be loud and smelly - the old creosote wood pylons have been sitting in seawater for decades, so expect "pungent marine odors."

What else can you expect? Here's what WSDOT says ferry passengers will notice:

• Bainbridge Island on and off-loading for vehicles and walk-on customers moves to the southern slip (slip 1). All drivers coming from Bainbridge Island to Seattle will exit at Yesler Way only.
• Bremerton drive-on and walk-on customers will use the middle slip (slip 2). All drivers coming from Bremerton will exit at Marion Street only.
• Northern slip (slip 3) closed for construction.
• New holding areas for bicycles and motorcycles on both routes.
• New card reader on the south side of the toll plaza for bicycles.

For more information, see WSDOT's bulletin here.

Photo courtesy WSDOT