The traffic flow – or lack of it – into and out of the Fauntleroy ferry dock has long been a challenge. At peak times, when available and funded, a law-enforcement officer helps. So what about a stoplight? The idea is far from new, but it’s resurfaced during the planning process for the dock-replacement project – and suddenly there’s talk it could be installed a lot sooner. That’s part of what was presented in the most recent meeting of the project’s Community Advisory Group.
First, here’s video of the entire meeting, published Monday (the meeting was held online last Wednesday):
Washington State Ferries managers told the CAG members – who represent all three stops on the route served by this dock, Fauntleroy, Vashon Island, and Southworth (Kitsap County) – that they’ve been talking with SDOT about the possibility of installing a stoplight sooner rather later, and talked about preliminary ideas for how it would work. They also said they had ruled out one controversial idea discussed at an earlier meeting – cutting into the bluff across the street from the dock in order to widen the intersection. (The bluff is topped by a lookout known as Captain’s Park.)
The diagram they showed (top image) was based on the concept of signalizing the intersection based on its current configuration. And the signal would be set up to use vehicle detection – obviously the dock-into-Fauntleroy Way direction wouldn’t be needed in the times between boats’ unloading. Discussion with CAG members included questions about how, or whether, the signalized intersection would discourage drivers from turning left into the dock from northbound Fauntleroy, and how it would be sequenced so that pedestrians and bicyclists could safely get across.
No specific time frame was listed for potential installation.
As for the dock itself, the process is moving toward design and construction in 2027-2029, and a “preferred alternative” size and shape for the replacement isn’t expected to be chosen until next year.
But WSF is continuing to consider seven alternatives (above) – potentially longer and/or wider than the current dock – so another major section of this meeting was devoted to new sets of renderings of how those alternatives would look. The renderings’ views were presented as from the pump station north of the dock, from the Cove Park beach north of the dock, looking toward the water from the street end of the walkway to/from the dock (which could run a fifth of a mile in the longest-new-dock scenario), and from the Captain’s Park lookout across the street. Since there were so many renderings, we have to refer you to the slide deck PDF for a look instead of posting them all here. Here’s a sample set, though – the existing view from Captain’s Park and the rendering of what the longest, largest alternative – C, which could hold up to 186 vehicles, a boatload and a half – would look like from there:
The WSF project engineering lead who presented the various sets of renderings, Edd Thomas, was asked questions such as how the motorcycle and bicycle loading – envisioned to have their own lanes – would work, and what sort of elevation change would be required from street to dock in order to prepare for sea-level rise. (Not much, was that reply – the current dock is a bit of a drop from the tollbooths, so that would instead be leveled out.) Another question: With the dock surface potentially much larger, what kind of light permeability would be built in, in order to avoid shading so much more water? Still under evaluation, was the reply – maybe some glass block along the south side of the dock.
The project is currently in a variety of studies before moving into the next phase of alternating alternatives. One major issue that’s being studied is how ferry traffic would be affected by advance ticketing or the Good To Go! automatic-payment pass system – potentially enabling the new dock to have a footprint similar to the existing one. WSF managers promised they will have that information at the next meeting, probably sometime in March. (UPDATE: It’s scheduled for 6 pm March 20.) In the meantime, the project is a major topic on tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting agenda, with guests from WSF, 6 pm at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW), open to the community (also viewable online).
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