June 19, 2017

Colman Dock rebuild starts soon and won't be complete until 2023

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Nearly half of the dock will be demolished and rebuilt. WSF said it has secured $350 million in federal, state and local funding.

Washington State Ferries is holding open houses this week and next as it prepares to begin rebuilding the Colman Dock ferry terminal in Seattle.

WSF said that key components of the aging dock are vulnerable to earthquakes, and that conflicts between vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians create safety hazards and operational inefficiencies.

Some of the dock's timber piles date to 1938.

Nearly half of the dock will be demolished and rebuilt. Work will be performed by the joint-venture of Hoffman-Pacific under the general contractor/construction manager delivery method.

Crews will replace the timber trestle with a concrete and steel trestle, construct a new main terminal building, build an elevated walkway between the terminal building and the passenger-only ferry facility, replace the overhead loading facility on the northernmost slip, add a bicycle entry and holding area, and build stairs and elevators to connect with Alaskan Way.

King County will fund a replacement passenger-only ferry facility on the south edge of the dock as part of the overall project. It will serve the King County Water Taxi and Kitsap Transit Fast Ferry.

The new facility will increase the overwater footprint by 5,200 square feet, so a neighboring pier owned by WSDOT will be removed as a mitigating measure.

Construction will start this summer and continue through early 2023. The dock will remain open during construction but ferry riders will see changes in access, queuing and schedules.

WSF said it has secured $350 million in federal, state and local funding for the project, and WSDOT's Office of Innovative Partnerships is doing a study of public-private funding for the entry building, due this fall.

The Colman Dock project team includes: lead consultant BergerABAM, architects NBBJ and SRG Partnership, HBB Landscape Architecture, Axis Environmental, CH2M Hill, KPFF (consulting engineer), Osborn Consulting (civil design), FSI Engineers, Parametrix, Parsons Transportation Group, Holmberg (mechanical) and Valley Electric.

Two informational drop-in sessions are this week: 3:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday inside the Colman Dock terminal and the Pier 50 King County Water Taxi waiting area; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday at the Bremerton terminal.

Open houses will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. June 26 at Kitsap Conference Center, 100 Washington Ave. in Bremerton; 5:30-7:30 p.m. June 27 at Bainbridge Island Senior Center, 370 Brien Drive S.E.; and 4:30-6:30 p.m. June 29 at Seattle Center for Architecture and Design, 1010 Western Ave., Seattle.

An online open house runs through July 14 at colmandockproject.participate.online.