Colman Dock Rebuild to Ensure Continued Operation and Multimodal Access

The nation’s largest ferry system is in the middle of rebuilding its busiest terminal, all while continuing to serve the nearly 9 million annual passengers that pass through it. People access the facility by walking, biking, and driving cars, as well as by arriving in passenger-ferries, carpools, vanpools, buses, and trains.

Washington State Ferries’ Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock in Seattle is aging and vulnerable to earthquakes. It provides ferry connections to communities from across the Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula to downtown Seattle. Major reconstruction of the terminal and a portion of the dock beneath it started in 2017 and continues until 2023.

This $455 million project will:

Replace the existing timber piles beneath the dock and a portion of the trestle with new concrete and steel piles, ensuring the Colman Dock facility continues to provide safe and reliable ferry service.
Replace the main terminal building to meet current seismic standards.
Replace the passenger-only ferry facility on the south edge of Colman Dock in partnership with King County.
Reduce conflicts between vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians by adding an elevated walkway between the terminal building and passenger-only ferry; adding a bicycle entry and holding area; and maintaining elevated, accessible walkway connections between the terminal and local streets.
Enhance the environment by removing 7,400 tons of creosote-treated timber piles from Elliott Bay; provide stormwater treatment for all new and replaced areas of the trestle, and; open up an area of shoreline and near-shore habitat.

WSF is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It operates 22 ferry vessels on 10 routes, using 20 terminals. The ferry system carries nearly 24 million passengers annually.

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