WSDOT

The Seattle/Bremerton route remains out of service due to a grounding event on M/V Walla Walla. Alternate routes for vehicles are the Seattle/Bainbridge and Fauntleroy/Southworth routes or via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Walk-on passengers are strongly encouraged to utilize Kitsap Transit’s Fast Ferry service with the last scheduled departure leaving Bremerton at 7:50 p.m. and Seattle at 8:30 p.m. Kitsap transit will also be providing some extended bus service from Bainbridge Island to Bremerton when the 7:20 p.m. and 8:20 p.m. Seattle departures arrive in Bainbridge. Options for walk-on passengers may be extremely limited or unavailable after that while the route remains out of service.  Additional updates will be provided as soon as they are available.

Washington State Ferries is operating on alternate schedules on some routes until further notice. These changes will help offer more predictable and reliable service systemwide in the face of crewing shortages. WSF will attempt to add service when possible and will provide notifications when full service can temporarily be restored to a route.

For Saturday, April 15, the following routes are operating on alternate schedules:

• Seattle/Bremerton Alternate Service - Route Out of Service Due to Mechanical Issue
• 2-Boat Fauntleroy/Vashon, 2-Boat Fauntleroy / Southworth, 2-boat Southworth/Vashon

The following routes are running restored spring schedules:

• Anacortes/San Juan Islands: Reservations available 
• Port Townsend/Coupeville: Reservations Available
• Mukilteo/Clinton
• Edmonds / Kingston
• Seattle/Bainbridge Island
• Point Defiance/Tahlequah

The schedule page online shows the currently active schedules in the top section, and the inactive schedules are below.  Please note that the active schedules may change daily depending on crew availability, so please be sure to monitor email alerts and check the Travel Alert Bulletins page for updates. 

Planning will soon begin to update the San Juan Islands’ sailing schedule to improve on-time performance and reliability. This important work can’t be completed without valuable community input.

Interested community members can apply to join WSF’s schedule update task force by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 21. This advisory group will examine current sailing schedules, review options and make recommendations on how additional community input should be considered throughout the update process. The task force will be in place for about a year, as the new schedule will be implemented before the 2024 summer season.

There is a 1 hour wait for vehicle traffic departing Kingston. The boarding pass system has not been activated for Kingston traffic. Please refrain from blocking driveways and businesses in the area upon arriving at the terminal. Updates will occur when more information is available.

Plan for possible weekday delays if traveling across the State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge between Monday, April 17 and April 21. Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, the bridge will close multiple times daily to vehicle traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians. Washington State Department of Transportation bridge preservation crews will conduct an in-depth inspection of the bridge that requires several draw span openings through Friday, April 21. The typical duration of each draw span opening will close the bridge to traffic for 15 minutes to one hour. Every effort will be made to minimize disruptions to travelers and keep the closures as short as possible. Crews will combine inspection-related openings with marine openings when possible. Travelers can get information about the Hood Canal Bridge via WSDOT email alerts, the WSDOT app and on the statewide travel map.

The #1 Kaleetan is running an estimated 20 minutes behind schedule.

The #2 Wenatchee is running an estimated 35 minutes behind schedule.

We will continue to send updated travel information as it becomes available. Customers can check the Seattle / Bainbridge Island Schedule for available upcoming sailings and the Real-Time Map for updated departures and estimated arrivals. 

There is an estimated 1 hour wait for drivers departing the Bainbridge terminal.

Updates will be provided as conditions change.

Customers walking and biking to and from Colman Dock will need to use separate detours to leave and enter the terminal starting early next week.

The ground level pedestrian walkway that leads from the holding lanes to Alaskan Way will be closed due to nearby construction on Monday and Tuesday, April 17-18. Customers should follow the posted detour signs.

Meanwhile, customers biking to the terminal will need to enter via the vehicle toll booth lanes and can utilize the ORCA card reader provided on the northern toll booth lane starting Monday, April 17. Cyclists who need to purchase tickets should proceed to the ticket booths. The bike access lane leading from Alaskan Way will be closed due to construction of the new plaza in this area. This detour will remain in place until the plaza is complete later this summer.

Thank you for your continued patience as we work to complete construction on Colman Dock.

Bremerton service will continue to operate out of Slip 2 at Colman Dock due to ongoing needed repairs to Slip 3. The slip remains temporarily closed to complete electrical work due to a delay in acquiring the needed materials to complete the repairs. Passengers will return to using Slip 3 once the work is completed.

Additional updates will be provided when they are available. Thank you for your continued patience while we work to finish construction on the new Seattle terminal.

Vehicle reservations for travel on the San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes between June 18 and September 23 will be available at 7 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, April 25. Customers are encouraged to view the upcoming schedule online in advance of booking their travel. 

Reservations can be made online at www.takeaferry.com or by calling 206-464-6400 and speaking with an Information Agent.

Customers are encouraged to participate in the current Ferry Riders Opinion Group survey to share your thoughts on all things WSF. The survey is hosted by the Washington State Transportation Commission and helps us hear feedback and suggestions directly from you.

You can participate by either signing up to join the survey panel to ensure you’re included in this and all future surveys, or you can just participate in the current survey that is available online without signing up to receive future surveys.

Thanks in advance for your participation and feedback.

Washington State Ferries’ Medical Preferential Loading program will move online next week. Starting Monday, March 20, faxed applications will no longer be accepted, and customers will need to work with their health care providers to submit one online. Once submitted, both the customer and provider will receive a confirmation email. A printed copy of this confirmation email must be presented with matching ID when traveling using the program.

There will be a 90-day grace period for applications faxed in prior to March 20. These will be accepted through their expiration date or up through June 18, whichever comes first. Customers taking advantage of the grace period are encouraged to work with their health care provider to apply online as soon as possible to avoid a pause in being able to use the program.

Customers can also find additional information about the upcoming updates to the program online.

Due to a construction project on the south end of Vashon Island, vehicles longer than 60 feet, unless articulated, should temporarily travel on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route.

Reminder:

To help supplement service, Washington State Ferries has added the following weekday service on our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth “Triangle” route to fill gaps in the two-boat schedule when crewing allows:

• 11:15 a.m. existing Southworth to Vashon will load Fauntleroy traffic
• 11:50 a.m. Vashon to Fauntleroy
• 12:15 p.m. Fauntleroy to Vashon (continues to Southworth)
• 7:35 p.m. Fauntleroy to Southworth (currently to Vashon)
• 8:10 p.m. Southworth to Vashon
• 8:30 p.m. Vashon to Fauntleroy
• 8:55 p.m. Fauntleroy to Vashon
• 9:20 p.m. Vashon to Southworth
• 9:35 p.m. Southworth to Vashon (Fridays only)

Thank you for your continued patience while we work to improve service on the route.

Washington State Ferries is actively working to bring service to pre-pandemic levels. While that won’t happen overnight, staff have developed a plan that outlines how to get there. Customers are encouraged to take a look at WSF’s COVID-19 Service Restoration Plan to get a clearer picture of what challenges the agency continues to face and what it will take to resume pre-pandemic service. WSF will provide regular updates on progress as it continues to restore service.