Project news

• The new Mukilteo terminal, WSF's first in 40 years, opened in December 2020.
• See the virtual ribbon-cutting (video).
• The overhead passenger walkway opened in April 2021; the Port of Everett's fishing pier opened in June 2021. 
• See construction photos over the years.  
• The new terminal's address is 910 First Street in Mukilteo.

Overview
The Mukilteo/Clinton ferry route is part of State Route 525, the major transportation corridor connecting Whidbey Island to the Seattle-Everett metropolitan area. It is one of the state's busiest routes, with more than 4 million total riders every year. By 2040, walk-on ridership during the peak afternoon commute is expected to increase 124 percent (2010-2040).

The old Mukilteo ferry terminal hadn't had significant improvements since the early 1980s. Components of the terminal did not meet seismic standards and its layout contributed to traffic congestion, safety concerns, and conflicts between walk-on and drive-on traffic. The new terminal, one-third of a mile east, improves safety by meeting current seismic standards. It also improves transit connections and passenger safety while streamlining passenger loading and opening the Mukilteo waterfront up to residents.

The site of the new terminal used to house an abandoned U.S. Air Force fueling station. It's now the site of a terminal built to LEED Gold standards, designed in cooperation with local tribes to be light on the earth and green. Removing the old fueling pier alone removed 7,000 toxic tons of creosote-treated debris from Puget Sound.

The Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal project includes:

• Passenger building and maintenance building
• Passenger overhead loading
• Toll plaza with four toll booths and seven vehicle holding lanes
• In-water docking and loading structures
• Transit center for connections to buses and trains
• Signalized intersection and expanded vehicle holding area to reduce congestion on SR 525.
• Waterfront promenade linking to two waterfront parks
• Transit center steps outside the terminal and 800 feet from the Sounder Commuter Rail Station

The new terminal:

• Improves safety and accessibility for pedestrians, vehicles and bicycles
• Is ADA compliant
• Improves the efficiency and reliability of ferry operations, including vehicle and passenger loading and unloading
• Improves transit connections for riders who travel without a car and help ensure reliable multimodal connections 
• Reduces the ferry-related congestion along Mukilteo’s central waterfront
• Provides public access to the Mukilteo waterfront

Timeline

• 2010-2014 – Environmental process
• 2014-2016 – Final design
• July 2015-February 2016 – Construction phase 1, decontaminating the worksite. 
• September 2017-2020 – Construction phase 2
  • September 2017-September 2018 – Trestle and bridge seat
  • January-October 2018 – Deep stormwater utilities
  • December 2018 - Contract for uplands work awarded to IMCO Construction. (In-water marine components of the project to be advertised to contractors in 2019.)
  • Early 2019-2020 – Main terminal building, maintenance building, holding lanes, toll plaza, and landscaping
  • Fall 2019 - In-water work begins
  • Dec. 29, 2020 – New terminal opens (schedule adjusted to account for COVID-related work stoppage)
  • Spring 2021 – Remove existing terminal (schedule adjusted to account for COVID-related work stoppage) 

Funding

$187.3 million dollars in federal and state funding has been appropriated for this project.