(WSB photo of Water Taxi line at Seacrest, January 2019)

One month into the new year, a notable stat from the old year: Record ridership on the King County Water Taxi‘s two routes, including West Seattle to downtown, boosted of course by the Viaduct-to-Tunnel transition. Here’s the announcement sent this afternoon:

The King County Water Taxi celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2019 with a record-breaking year of connecting West Seattle and Vashon Island to downtown Seattle. In 2019, the West Seattle Water Taxi’s ridership was 443,993 and the Vashon Island route’s ridership was 257,615, for a grand total of 701,608 boardings.

In comparison, ridership for 2018 was 414,967 in West Seattle and 249,398 for the Vashon Island route. King County Water Taxi has carried 5.4 million riders since starting service for the King County Ferry District in 2009, and this year’s record-setting ridership represents a 115% increase over its humble beginnings.

“It’s no surprise that more and more people are catching on to all that the Water Taxi has to offer – scenic views, ample seating, fast sailings, and zero traffic,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “We’re continually seeking innovative, expanded ways to help our region’s growing population get around, and the Water Taxi is a perfect example of that, providing a creative transportation solution to commuters, local explorers, and visitors alike.”

Though ridership has increased nearly every year, one notable variable contributed to the Water Taxi’s strong performance in 2019.

Throughout the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure in January, the Water Taxi provided a congestion-free alternative to the Seattle Squeeze. During the first Monday commute, 1,350 passengers boarded West Seattle Water Taxi compared to 350 on the same day in 2018. The route maintained double the ridership throughout the closure, up 142% compared to the same dates in 2018.

“From a persistent pilot project to 700,000 riders, the water taxi has proven an integral part of our transit system,” said King County Councilmember Joe McDermott. “During the viaduct closure, the West Seattle route was up 142% as people sought a fast and reliable commute downtown. As more people look for ways to get out of their cars, preserving and expanding water taxi service will be key to our region’s success.”

Annual ridership isn’t the only record broken by the Water Taxi. In December 2019, 6,575 people responded to a public survey on possible water taxi expansion, a record for any Metro survey. The survey was requested by the King County Council to consider potential future water taxi service to Ballard and Kenmore. Comprehensive survey results will be transmitted to council in July 2020.

(Spirit of Kingston – WSB file photo)

For the rest of the winter, the King County Water Taxi‘s backup boat Spirit of Kingston will have a regular spot – Friday mornings on the West Seattle route. KCDOT spokesperson Torie Rynning tells WSB that this starts tomorrow, January 3rd. The regular West Seattle boat, Doc Maynard, will in turn handle the Vashon run on Friday mornings. Rynning cites three reasons for the change:

*Allows the Spirit of Kingston to not sit idle

*Doc Maynard can “get some exercise” on the longer trip to Vashon

*More routine maintenance can be conducted on the Sally Fox

SoK has a little more than half the DM’s passenger capacity, and a lower bicycle capacity too. The 7-day-a-week spring/summer schedule starts March 23rd on the West Seattle run; Vashon service is 5 days a week year-round. (Update: Rynning adds that this might continue past the start of the 7-day schedule.)

(WSB photos)

That’s what King County Water Taxi passengers saw this morning as they disembarked at Pier 50 downtown – the new passenger-ferry facility. Not just the Water Taxi:

Since Kitsap Fast Ferries are sharing the space, Kitsap Transit’s board chair, Bainbridge Island Mayor Kol Medina, shared the podium with King County Executive Dow Constantine at a media briefing this morning.

Constantine, a longtime Water Taxi champion, said he was “amazed” by how well the project turned out, “way better” than he had imagined. Here are some of the highlights:

We asked King County Marine Division director Paul Brodeur for his favorite features. Above, the Douglas-fir ceiling – “sustainably harvested,” he noted – as well as the many accessibility improvements, including a tactile path from Alaskan Way to the facility entrance:

Here’s the spot where a person following that path will turn to go into the facility:

Brodeur also expressed appreciation for the “1 Percent for Art” feature inside. It’s subtle, and we wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t pointed it out:

The posts – meant to emulate pilings with tide lines – are by artist Leo Berk; his many other public-art sites include Highland Park Spraypark. Also part of the new facility, digital signage and 9 ticket machines:

One feature that’s not ready to go yet – new connections to the main terminal – the connections should be complete within a month or so. (Important because, as one question toward the briefing’s end revealed, there’s no restroom in the new facility.) Wondering about the cost? From the news release:

The total cost of the project is $45 million, which includes the new building and the new float for boats to dock. Approximately 80 percent of the funding came from a grant from the Federal Transit Administration.

If you travel through the new facility today, you might still have a chance at opening-day swag, including little foam boats and decorated cookies:

So now that the downtown dock is upgraded, what about West Seattle, which is still using the Seacrest fishing pier after 20+ years? Constantine had nothing concrete to announce but replied that the new Pier 50 will “show the way” and that it’s proof that the region’s commitment to passenger ferries – not always a sure bet – “is past the point of no return.”

We’ll add briefing video later.

(WSDOT photo)

At right in the photo above is the new passenger-ferry facility at Pier 50 downtown, a few weeks before its completion. It’s ready to go now, and King County Water Taxi and Kitsap Fast Ferry passengers will be first to use it Monday morning. As we reported Friday, West Seattle service will resume with the route’s regular full-size vessel, Doc Maynard. It’s been exactly two years since the passenger ferries’ Seattle dock moved to a temporary spot at Pier 52 so the new facility could be built as part of the Colman Dock overhaul (longer than the year and a half estimated in 2017, and the “little more than a year” mentioned on the WT website). We’ll get a close-up look at the new facility during a media tour tomorrow morning.

Just in case you were wondering, we checked. King County Transportation spokesperson Travis Shofner reassures us that everything’s on track for West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi service to resume Monday morning, using the new terminal at Pier 50 downtown. Since the smaller Spirit of Kingston was on the West Seattle run before the service suspension, we also sought confirmation that the regular vessel Doc Maynard will be back. Shofner says yes, that’s on track too, with Doc Maynard expected o be “back out of dry dock and back in the water

As noted in the morning traffic watch, the smaller Spirit of Kingston took over the West Seattle Water Taxi unannounced yesterday. After we inquired how long that will last, this advisory was sent:

The 149-passenger MV Spirit of Kingston will operate service on the West Seattle route for the remainder of this week. The 278-passenger MV Doc Maynard – the route’s regular vessel, will operate service on the Vashon route in place of the Sally Fox which is in drydock for a routine annual inspection. All vessels are scheduled to return to their regular routes once the new Pier 50 facility opens on Monday, August 12. Riders should plan accordingly.

The “new Pier 50 facility” reference relates to yesterday’s announcement of the rescheduled one-week suspension of service for the long-awaited downtown dock move.

(King County aerial photo – temporary Water Taxi dock at left, almost-complete new one at right)

The service suspension originally planned for last week has been rescheduled for next week. Here’s the announcement:

King County Water Taxi will suspend service Aug. 5-11 as construction crews complete work that will allow vessels to operate out of the new downtown Seattle passenger dock at Pier 50.

King County Water Taxi and Kitsap Fast Ferry customers have boarded vessels at a temporary location at Pier 52 since August 2017 to allow for construction. The new facility will be located on the south side of Colman Dock at Pier 50 and is part of a larger project to renovate Colman Dock.

While service is suspended, construction crews will move the gangway from its current temporary location at Pier 52 to the new terminal and finalize connections and testing necessary for operations at the new terminal. Service is scheduled to resume on Monday, Aug. 12.

The new passenger ferry terminal represents a major investment in passenger ferry service and the region’s long-term mobility, connecting downtown Seattle with West Seattle, Vashon and the Kitsap Peninsula. The new covered facility will have room for approximately 500 passengers. Later this summer, the facility also will feature an observation platform overlooking the bay at the west end as construction progresses.

From King County Water Taxi management: M/V Doc Maynard is getting a propeller replaced, so the lower-capacity Spirit of Kingston is on the run until Saturday. That could mean some sold-out runs, so don’t wait till the last minute to show up for a particular departure!

(King County aerial photo – temporary Water Taxi dock at left, almost-complete new one at right)

The King County Water Taxi will NOT take the week off next week for its downtown dock move after all, the county just announced:

The King County Water Taxi will remain in service the week of July 22-28 at Pier 52 to allow additional time to complete necessary work at the new Pier 50 passenger terminal, and a planned temporary suspension of service to move to the new facility will be announced soon

(This will provide) additional time for contractor crews to finish necessary security and safety installations and ADA accessibility projects. Passengers will continue to board and disembark at the temporary facility on Pier 52 until the new facility is opened.

Temporary service suspension of all Water Taxi routes will be announced soon. During that time, crews will finish work at the new facility at Pier 50 including moving the gangway, finishing flooring, and installing electronic equipment.

(Photo courtesy Paul, taken aboard the Water Taxi during 2016 Viaduct closure)

Back in December, we reported on a King County Water Taxi survey “to address bicycle capacity issues,” with questions including whether a fee should be charged to bring a bike on board. The decision on that, so far, is “no,” but the county has announced new limits on bicycle capacity per sailing, as well as a limit on bicycle size. The new policies take effect a week from Monday (on June 24th) and are explained in this update on the Water Taxi website.

A choppy start to the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s 7-day-a-week schedule – the 3:45 pm departure from downtown is being skipped because, per the county alert:

Due to a mechanical issue with the Doc Maynard, the 3:45 departure from West Seattle has been cancelled while the crew takes the vessel to the King County maintenance facility and brings the Spirit of Kingston into service beginning with the 4:05 departure from Pier 52.

The substitution could be problematic later since the Mariners’ home opener could mean bigger usage, and SoK is a smaller boat. We’re checking.

(WSB photo from January)

3:02 PM: The West Seattle Water Taxi‘s seven-day-a-week schedule starts Thursday, and that means the end of the 2-boat service that started just before the Alaskan Way Viaduct permanently closed. You can preview the spring/summer schedule here. Key points, as the county reminds us, are that the Water Taxi will:

*Be in service seven days a week from Pier 50 downtown to West Seattle

*Include late evening sailings every Friday and Saturday

*Depart downtown Seattle as late as 10:45 p.m. during Seattle Mariners, Sounders and Seahawks night home games

Thursday is in fact the Mariners‘ home opener, though the game starts at 4:10 pm, so the Water Taxi’s not likely to have to run that late.

ADDED TUESDAY NIGHT: Turns out TODAY was the final day of 2-boat service – see this service advisory for Wednesday.

(WSB photo: San Juan Clipper on West Seattle Water Taxi run at Seacrest last Wednesday)

If you’re still catching up post-snow, here’s a reminder for tomorrow, from the King County Water Taxi:

This coming Monday, February 18, both the West Seattle and Vashon Island Water Taxis will be in service on the Presidents Day holiday. The Vashon route will be operating its normal commuter schedule and the West Seattle route will be operating its enhanced SR-99 (transition) schedule. Please check the King County Water Taxi website for scheduled departure times.

Expanded service during the SR 99 closure will remain through March 27: The West Seattle Water Taxi expanded service has departures every 20 minutes during peak commute times and is offering midday service. There is still a lot of capacity on each and every sailing, plus room on free shuttle routes 773 and 775, room on Ride2 on-demand shuttles, and 100 – 200 free spaces still available daily at the Pier 2 parking lot across from 7-Eleven on Harbor Avenue. Vessels depart the dock at the departure time, so riders are advised to allow time to board the vessel.

Metro buses tomorrow will be on the “reduced weekday” schedule.

Thanks to Eugene Lee for the photo from the West Seattle Water Taxi dock at Seacrest this morning. Now that the Highway 99 tunnel opening is confirmed for Monday, that makes tomorrow the final 99-less commute. To mark the occasion, King County Executive Dow Constantine plans to greet WT commuters at the dock, as he did at the start, so if you’re there around 7:30 am Friday, you’ll get the chance to say hi. Two WT reminders beyond tomorrow:

-The expanded-schedule two-boat service DOES continue all the way until the 7-day-a-week schedule begins in late March. The extra parking at Pier 2 and park-and-ride shuttle will continue, too.

-The WS Water Taxi DOES run Saturday because of the viaduct/tunnel celebration – here’s our story from earlier this week with that day’s special schedule.

FYI for West Seattle Water Taxi riders, from King County’s Jeff Switzer: “The Spirit of Kingston will be in service Thursday morning, Jan. 31, in place of the Doc Maynard, to allow for a quick engine part swap on the Doc. It is scheduled to be back in service for the 1:15pm departure from Pier 52.”

(WSB photo from Friday, M/V Doc Maynard sailing in to Seacrest)

If you missed our mention in Friday’s expanded traffic/transit coverage – the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi service WILL run tomorrow on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, though that holiday in previous years has been a no-service day for the foot ferry. Also note that the West Seattle route will be on the same expanded two-boat schedule it’s been running since the first Highway 99-less commute a week ago; expanded shuttle service and free Pier 2 parking will be available too. (If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s the brochure with the overview. One change, says King County: A downtown departure was moved up to 5 pm, 5 minutes earlier than in the brochure. The website schedule here is correct.)

P.S. Though traffic is bound to be lighter since schools and most government facilities are closed, we will launch our expanded traffic/transit coverage at 5:30 am Monday as we’ve done since last week, too. Thanks again to everyone who has contributed comments, tips, questions, alerts!