Seattle's Colman Dock ferry terminal to open new entry building, plaza after $489M overhaul

SEATTLE — A new entry building and a large plaza that links into the main Washington State Ferries terminal building at Colman Dock in Seattle are opening this week, a step that is one of the final hurdles in the massive $489 million overhaul of the terminal that began in 2017.

The entry building that fronts Alaskan Way opens Thursday morning, serving as a portal to the elevated plaza and the main terminal building for passengers bound for Bremerton and Bainbridge Island sailings. Passengers will now enter the complex via stairs or elevators off Alaskan Way, and soon, a rebuilt pedestrian connection along Marion Street will offer another link to the space. Eventually, the long, temporary walkway that passengers have used to enter and exit the terminal building in recent years will be removed.

“There’s about 50,000 square feet of new space that far exceeds the old,” said David Sowers, director of terminal engineering for WSF, standing in the terminal’s new plaza area on Wednesday. “If you remember the old terminal building, that was kind of a cattle stockade as it was oriented east to west, and people were sort of jostling shoulder-to-shoulder. Now, the building is turned 90 degrees, it allows all these beautiful views of the water and the city skyline. These connecting spaces are also places people can stage if they don’t want to be in the building or on a Seahawks game, there’ll be a lot of this space that’s at capacity.”

For those hoping to once again grab a bite to eat while waiting for a sailing, the new entry building has a pair of vendor spaces that sit at street level, and Sowers said WSF is working toward soliciting businesses to open in those spaces. He also noted that eventually Sodexo Live!, the contractor that operates ferry galley service, will also open a grab-and-go, convenience store-style space inside the main terminal building.

The historic Colman Clock that used to sit outside the old terminal building was squirreled away in storage during the renovations and will soon return and be placed inside the main terminal building, Sowers said.

Some finishing touches will continue in the coming months, but the majority of work for the terminal rebuild has been completed. Sowers did note that some additional future work will be needed at the site to allow for electric charging infrastructure for vessels.

Construction launched in 2017, and work crews rebuilt the terminal while ferry service to and from Bremerton and Bainbridge Island remained operational. Workers pulled 7,500 tons of creosote-treated wood from the water and added 500 new steel support pilings, according to the agency. Around 12,000 cubic yards of concrete was poured for the trestle holding lanes, and 772 pre-cast concrete panels were set in place for the trestle. The dock now has 611 spaces for vehicles, 185 more than were available at the old terminal. The main terminal building has an occupancy of 1,900 people.

“This facility, it’s a crowning achievement for Washington State Ferries,” Sowers said. “It’s our contribution to the redevelopment of the waterfront for all the city.”

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Seattle's Colman Dock ferry terminal adds entry building, plaza