Weekly update
Read the weekly update from WSDOT Deputy Secretary Steve Nevey, head of Washington State Ferries.
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Here is the latest edition of the WSF Weekly Update:
July 10, 2025
A message from Steve
We’re excited to share the Wenatchee will return to service next week as our first hybrid-electric ferry. It will run part-time in the evenings on our Seattle/Bainbridge route, before returning to full-time service by the end of the month. Gov. Bob Ferguson made the announcement this morning during an event aboard the vessel with former Gov. Jay Inslee. They visited the wheelhouse and engine room to thank the crew and see the new equipment.
We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped us get to this point. More than 600 skilled workers from Vigor shipyard and our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility worked on Wenatchee. They removed two diesel engines, added 864 battery modules and installed thousands of feet of cable. The boat is almost 30 years old, and now it’s ready to run for many more years. This work will help us burn less fuel and lower pollution. Wenatchee could use up to 1 million fewer gallons of diesel each year once charging stations are in place. The ferry was also cleaned from top to bottom and given a fresh coat of paint. A special shoutout to our engine room and deck crew employees who are spending a lot of time training and testing the new systems. We can’t wait to welcome passengers aboard Wenatchee again!
Fourth of July weekend ridership
Over the busy Independence Day weekend, we carried more than 406,000 people from Wednesday, July 2, through Sunday, July 6. That’s nearly 29,000 more than the same five days last year. This kind of increase doesn’t happen without the hard work of our amazing team. I thank all our employees for their efforts in keeping people moving over the holiday weekend. This includes our deck and engine room crews, terminal staff, dispatchers, watch center supervisors and customer service agents. Their commitment is making a real difference to those who are relying on us during our busiest time of the year.
House Transportation Committee presentation
Deputy Assistant Secretary John Vezina, Electrification Program Administrator David Sowers and Terminal Engineering Director Nicole McIntosh spoke to the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday. The work session focused on ferry construction and other big projects. John provided a brief overview of our funding history and how we’re working to make our fleet more stable. David shared updates on our electrification efforts. This includes plans to build new hybrid-electric ferries, the recent hybrid-electric conversion of Wenatchee and how we’re preparing terminals to charge these boats. Nicole talked about current and future projects at the Fauntleroy, Kingston, Mukilteo and Bremerton terminals. She also gave details about planned upgrades at Anacortes, Coupeville, Edmonds, Lopez Island and Orcas Island in 2026 and 2027. The meeting also included a report from our consultant, Segal, about improvements in our workforce over the last few years. We thank HTC Chair Jake Fey for giving us the chance to share these important updates. We also appreciate the continued interest and engagement from legislators.
WSTC seeks feedback on proposed ferry fare changes
The Washington State Transportation Commission is looking for public input on its proposed ferry fare changes. You can share your comments via email, phone 360-705-7070 or mail at P.O. Box 47308, Olympia, WA 98504-7308. The commission plans to make a decision on its fare proposal at its virtual public hearing at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6.
SR 20 Spur roadwork delays in Anacortes
Give yourself some extra time travelling to our Anacortes terminal. Work began this week on a city of Anacortes project along State Route 20 Spur/Commercial Avenue. The road remains open during construction, but there may be fewer lanes for traffic between 11th and 13th streets near Safeway. The city recommends using a signed detour on M Avenue when heading to or from our terminal. Crews are rebuilding this two-block section of SR 20 Spur. This is the first of five phases in the city's Complete Street Project. Work is scheduled to last up to two months. Later phases will focus on parts of Commercial Avenue going south to 34th Street.
Hood Canal Bridge lane closure Tuesday, July 15
Plan for daytime delays if your ferry plans include travel across State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge on Tuesday, July 15. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. one lane on the span will close to create a work zone for a large crane. Each direction of traffic will alternate using a single lane. During this time, crews will replace a hydraulic cylinder on the bridge. This work may be cancelled if there are high winds and an update will be posted on the bridge's status webpage. The day after the work is done, on Wednesday, July 16, travelers can expect several draw span openings that will close the bridge to traffic. Each closure is scheduled to be 30 minutes or less and allows crews to flush the hydraulic system.
Emergency rule on crabbing, shrimping near our terminal
A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife emergency rule involving our terminals took effect on Tuesday. It prohibits setting crab or shrimp gear from a vessel near our docks. This type of fishing equipment can cause problems for our ferries. Entanglements have led to costly repairs and hundreds of canceled sailings for our customers. The WDFW rule also bans commercial purse seine fishing and gillnetting near our terminals. It does not affect hook and line angling.
Sailing stats for week of June 30 to July 6
For the week of June 23-29, we completed 99% of our 3,099 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 32 cancellations, 17 were for schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers), 13 due to crewing and two because of security-related issues.
Customer kudos
“On the first day of my vacation two weeks ago, my fanny pack that included my ID, credit card, epi-pen, and cash was lost. Honestly, I didn't know if it had fallen off of me at a museum in Seattle or on the ferry. I just knew that it wasn't on me when we arrived at our destination the first night. Not only was I upset about losing the credit card, cash, and epi-pen, but I was in great distress trying to figure out how I was going to get through security to get home to Louisiana without my ID.
“Your team on the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal came through for me. (Terminal employee) Ryan Spilker with the Ferry found me on social media and explained that his office had found the fanny pack, and it was in a secure location. I cannot express how relieved I was! Because he took the time to reach out, I was able to fully enjoy our vacation at Olympic National Park that we had been planning for months. An added bonus was that when we returned to the ferry a few days later, everything was in it! Thank you, Ryan and the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal staff, for doing such an excellent job. You have my heartfelt appreciation.”
-Seattle/Bainbridge route customer
Steve Nevey
WSDOT Deputy Secretary for Washington State Ferries
Slow down – lives are on the line.
Excessive speed was a top cause of work zone collisions in 2024.
Phone down, eyes up.
Work zones need our undivided attention.
It's in EVERYONE’S best interest.
96% of people hurt in work zones are drivers, their passengers or passing pedestrians, not just our road crews.