Seattle Fast Ferry Terminal Project: Addressing crowded landing space at Pier 50
Kitsap Transit shifted Bremerton fast ferry sailings from Pier 54 to Pier 50 last month, a move that necessitated a small schedule change. Frequent ferry riders will probably be familiar with these moves – we occasionally have to alter our fast ferry schedules to fit into one of the two available slips at Pier 50 in downtown Seattle.
Ferries arrive and depart the passenger-only facility at Pier 50 on a tight schedule. Between Kitsap Transit’s three ferry routes – Kingston, Bremerton and Southworth – and King County Water Taxi’s Vashon Island and West Seattle routes, there’s a lot of traffic coming and going from a landing facility capable of serving only two ferries at one time. If a ferry misses its window, it risks having to cancel or delay sailings because of the other vessels waiting to dock there.
Solving this problem of insufficient landing space will help improve reliability and consistency for our riders. It’s why Kitsap Transit, along with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), is taking the first steps toward evaluating options for additional landing facilities in downtown Seattle that could accommodate multiple ferries docking at one time and ensure we have capacity for future routes.
Right now, we’re in the Early Scoping stage of the project, a process that involves getting feedback from all the stakeholders involved: tribal governments, agencies, transit riders, property owners, businesses, community organizations and anyone else who may be interested.
The goal is to gather feedback about the project’s purpose and need plus any potential impacts and benefits to the community and the environment that we should consider while evaluating site locations. The public comment period is open May 12 – June 12, 2022.
If you’re interested in weighing in, you can submit a public comment online, or attend one of our two public meetings, held virtually at the following times:
You can also sign up for our email list to follow along with the project’s progress! Learn more at https://www.kitsaptransit.com/static/486/seattle-fast-ferry-terminal-project.