Date:  Friday, April 17, 2009

Contact: Susan Harris-Huether, Senior Programs Manager, 206-515-3460

Ferry system urges customers to make ferry reservations early

PORT TOWNSEND – The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) is preparing for unprecedented demand on the Port Townsend/Keystone route this spring. Customers who use this route should be planning ahead now, as the six-week closure of the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge begins May 1, and other springtime events and holidays – like the Port Townsend Rhododendron Festival May 11-17 and Memorial Day weekend May 22-25 – will also bring large volumes of traffic to the route. To ensure convenient and timely travel, all customers – regular commuters as well as vacationers – need to plan ahead and make reservations for travel as far in advance as possible.

“The Port Townsend/Keystone reservation system has been very helpful to customers in managing traffic over the past year while the route has been on one-boat service,” said David Moseley, Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries. “However, making reservations will be crucial to ensuring that you can travel on the sailings of your choice this spring.”

Customers can make reservations on the WSF Web site (www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries), by calling 5-1-1 between 7 a.m. and 5:45 p.m., or by visiting participating businesses or Visitor Centers in Port Townsend and on Whidbey Island. (Beginning Sunday, April 26, phone hours will be extended to 7 a.m. to 6:50 p.m.)

WSF recommends that reservation holders arrive 30 minutes prior to departure to ensure timely processing and boarding. Customers arriving late may forfeit their reservation. For customers without reservations, WSF will not be able to verify a space for their vehicle on a particular sailing until just prior to loading. WSF strongly recommends that customers make reservations to travel on this route, especially with the anticipated increase in traffic this spring.

For more ferry system information, please visit the WSF Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries. To sign up for free e-mail alerts about service disruptions and other route information, click on the link in the far left column of the Web site.

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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 5-1-1.

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