Followup: Water Taxi dock work starts next week at Seacrest

| King County Water Taxi | Transportation | West Seattle news

As reported here last weekend, the construction permit’s been issued for the new King County Water Taxi dock at Seacrest, and this morning we have more information from the King County Department of Transportation on when the work starts and what effects it will have on people who use Seacrest:

The project begins the week of Jan. 4, when Manson Construction Company will move barges and containment booms into the area between the fixed fishing pier and the shoreline. In the first stage of the project, the aging gangway, floating dock and pilings will be removed.

By mid-January, installation of new pilings will begin, which requires using a large vibratory hammer to rattle the pilings into the ground. The pile installation has the potential for increased noise especially underwater. Residents around Seacrest Park may also notice increased noise levels during working hours Monday through Friday.

The fixed fishing pier is expected to remain open to the public throughout construction, but fishermen will experience increased noise and in-water disruptions. Also, recreational diving will be interrupted at and around Seacrest Dock between mid-January and mid-February of 2010.

The pile installation is scheduled to take two to three weeks. Once it’s completed, a new dock and gangway will be installed. No increase in noise levels is expected during this construction phase; however, the work could continue to be disruptive to divers in the area.

The current construction schedule shows the project being completed by late-February, 2010.

The Water Taxi’s next season between West Seattle and downtown is scheduled to start in April. Whether it continues year-round thereafter, as has been proposed, depends on funding issues. Since the service is no longer being contracted out to Argosy Cruises, next season will bring a dock change (Pier 50 downtown, where the county’s Seattle-Vashon foot ferry now lands) and vessel change (the county’s leasing one – no final decision yet on a specific vessel).

on board December 29, 2009 (10:21 am)

So are these the permanent improvements that will make year round service possible? I thought I saw a plan somewhere that had Jack Block park used as a permanent terminal for the Water Taxi.

WSB December 29, 2009 (10:49 am)

These are actually considered interim improvements. The search for the Water Taxi’s permanent home is not over yet – Jack Block has been proposed along the way, as has another site or two – but there’s still a lot to be worked out, including money. Regarding year-round, as noted in our story last weekend (and I’ve just added a bit of this here), these are the improvements that will make it possible BUT only if the funding question is settled – all the maneuvering pre-election has left the Ferry District with a smaller source of longterm funding, and that’s the part they have to work out so they can pay for the fall/winter service – TR

gidget December 29, 2009 (4:15 pm)

I really hope they find year round funding. I’m not super thrilled about the move to Pier 50 (from Pier 56) but I really love taking the water taxi to work and really don’t like taking the bus.

Rich Z December 30, 2009 (9:25 am)

I like to see the drawings for the new seacrest dock to get an idea how much the dive area will be impacted.

Brian R December 30, 2009 (8:29 pm)

I think the recreational dive use will be further restricted…Argosy could only impose so much under their agreement, but with the formalization of the schedule and route, you can expect that they will likely pull diving from Cove 2 entirely, pushing everyone over to Cove 3. Unfortunate.

Sorry, comment time is over.