Project news

• Starting Monday, Oct. 5 the Marion Street vehicle ­­exit will close through late summer 2021. All vehicles and bikes exiting Colman Dock will exit through Yesler Way, which may cause delays off-loading ferries during peak times. There will be no changes or impacts to people walking on the ferry.
• Bremerton drive-on passengers will continue to use Slip 3. Bainbridge drive-on passengers will continue to use Slip 1. 
• Stay informed about the latest changes for customers and sign up for rider alerts.
• The City of Seattle is rebuilding Seattle’s central waterfront. Find out the latest information about construction progress on the waterfront.

Overview
Washington State Ferries is replacing the aging and seismically vulnerable parts of Colman Dock in Seattle in order to maintain its critical role as a regional multimodal transportation hub.

• View photos and video of crews building your new Colman Dock.
• Find out how we are protecting salmon and wildlife while setting construction milestones.

The End Result

Key project elements include:

• Replacing the existing timber trestle portion of the dock with a new concrete and steel trestle
• Replacing the main terminal building and a new entry building on Alaskan Way that will include retail space
• Replacing the passenger-only ferry facility on the south edge of Colman Dock with funding from King County
• Constructing a new elevated walkway between the terminal building and the passenger-only ferry facility
• Replacing the overhead loading facility on the northernmost slip
• Adding a bicycle entry and holding area north of Marion Street
• Maintaining an elevated connection between the terminal building and the pedestrian bridge 
• Providing stairs and elevators to connect the facility to Alaskan Way 
• Mitigating for additional overwater coverage* 

*While avoidance and minimization of new overwater coverage was a key goal of the project, the new facility will increase the overwater footprint by approximately 5,400 square feet. Mitigation for this increase in overwater coverage was achieved by removing overwater coverage from a neighboring pier owned by WSDOT.

Project Benefits
The project will:

• Ensure that the Colman Dock facility can continue to provide safe and reliable ferry service between Seattle and communities in Kitsap County and the Olympic Peninsula
• Improve safety by meeting current seismic standards
• Reduce conflicts between vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians and improve operational efficiencies
• Improve circulation and accessibility for people walking, biking and driving. 
• Remove 7,400 tons of creosote-treated timber piles from Elliott Bay
• Open up an area of shoreline and near-shore habitat
• Provide stormwater treatment for all new and replaced areas of the trestle
• Provide opportunities for remediation of contaminated sediments

Timeline

• 2012-2015 – Environmental process/preliminary design
• 2015-2017 – Final design and permitting
• Summer 2017-2023 – Construction
  • Summer 2019 – New passenger-only ferry terminal opens on south side of dock

Construction will continue until 2023 and the terminal will remain open throughout construction.

While the terminal and all ferry operations will be available and maintained throughout construction, customers can expect changes to how vehicles, passengers and bicycles load and unload.

WSF will continue to coordinate closely with other Seattle waterfront projects, including  Waterfront Seattle, and Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program throughout construction.

Disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) program
WSF has chosen the General Contractor/Construction Manager delivery method for the project. Hoffman-Pacific, a Joint Venture, was selected as the GC/CM in fall 2015 and has committed to maximizing opportunities for DBE firms. WSDOT has established a DBE goal of 12% of the project’s Maximum Allowable Construction Cost (MACC).

For questions about DBE opportunities on this project:
Andrew Powell, Hoffman-Pacific Project Manager
Andrew-Powell@Hoffmancorp.com
206-286-6697

For information about certification and WSDOT’s DBE supportive services:
WSDOT Office of Equal Opportunity
1-888-259-9143

Funding

• $455 million in federal, state and local funding has been appropriated for this project.
• King County provided funding for replacement of the passenger-only ferry facility.

With $455 million in secured funding, WSF will replace the seismically-vulnerable elements of the facility to preserve Colman Dock’s core functions. This budget also funds the entry building and pedestrian plaza, bicycle facility and a new vehicle transfer span.