April 14, 2016

$326M Colman Dock terminal upgrade expected to start construction in 2017

Images courtesy of Washington State Ferries [enlarge]

The project will replace seismically vulnerable parts of the terminal, while reconfiguring the layout to improve safety and efficiency.

Washington State Ferries is holding a series of open houses this month to share its $326 million plan for Colman Dock in Seattle.

WSF is working with the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration to replace old and seismically vulnerable parts of the ferry terminal. The project also provides a chance to reconfigure the dock's inefficient layout, and address safety concerns for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians who use the space.

The joint venture of Hoffman-Pacific was selected last year as the general contractor/construction manager. The architect is NBBJ.

Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2017 and finish by early 2023.

Open houses are set for April 19, 20 and 26 at multiple locations. See seattlemultimodalterminalproject.publicmeeting.info for details.

Colman Dock is the largest ferry terminal in the state system, serving more than 9 million ferry customers and 500,000 King County Water Taxi riders in 2015.

[enlarge]

A new entry building, elevated plaza and view platform will improve pedestrian connections and integrate with the waterfront.

WSF has a number of goals for the project:

• Reconfigure the layout of the dock to improve safety and efficiency

• Replace the main terminal building with a building that meets current seismic safety standards

• Construct a new entry building, elevated plaza and view platform to improve pedestrian connections to Alaskan Way, and integrate with the city's waterfront plans

• Increase public open space and provide a complete pedestrian loop that connects the terminal building, King County Water Taxi and the Marion Street pedestrian bridge

• Replace the Slip 3 overhead loading and vehicle-transfer span, and widen the walkway to handle more pedestrians and provide better ADA accessibility

As part of the project, King County will replace the passenger-only water taxi facility. It will be built during the first phase of construction and is scheduled to open in late 2018.

The state Legislature has approved funding to complete the work, using a combination of federal and state money, and local funds for the water taxi facility.