New Ferry Terminal Opens At Colman Dock

SEATTLE — Travelers arriving at Seattle's Colman Dock were welcomed by a roomy new terminal Friday as Washington State Ferries reached a major milestone after five years of construction.

The $467 million project is now open to passengers arriving from Bremerton and Bainbridge Island on the nation's largest ferry system. Construction on the major overhaul began in 2017 with the demolition of the old building and was completed in phases without major interruptions to ferry service.

"Just in time for busy Thanksgiving travel, we are thrilled to welcome passengers on two of our busiest ferry routes into the completed Colman Dock terminal building and reach yet another milestone for the Colman Dock project," said David Sowers, WSF's director of terminal engineering. "We thank customers for their patience during construction and hope they enjoy the new space, amenities and expansive views of Elliott Bay and the downtown Seattle skyline."

The new terminal is equipped with modern seismic upgrades and provides enough room for nearly 2,000 riders, with seating capacity for three times as many passengers as before. Friday's opening for arrivals will be followed by a spring opening for departing passengers, along with a new elevated walkway for pedestrians and cyclists. WSF officials estimate the terminal will have the capacity to accommodate 10 million riders every year.

Here are some of the new features:

• More than 20,000 square feet of passenger space, providing room for 1,900 ferry riders.
• Twelve turnstiles for each route including six that are ADA-accessible.
• Seating capacity of 362 seats—triple the amount of the old terminal building.
• Restroom capacity will double from the existing one-third of the building.
• Ticket purchasing is still available online, at the ticket booth on the temporary walkway and at kiosks inside the terminal building.
• Elevator access is near the passenger only ferry terminal, as it currently is.

Since construction began, crews have built a new terminal on the south side of the dock for the King County Water Taxi and Kitsap Transit vessels and replaced a timber trestle on the dock with a new one made of concrete and steel. The new entry building along Alaskan Way and the elevated pedestrian connector are on schedule for opening in the spring.

>> Read more about the overhaul at Colman Dock here.