State ferry system leaders have landed on the mid-sized dock options for rebuilding Fauntleroy dock and plan to update the Triangle Route’s two-boat schedule this summer.

Washington State Ferries (WSF) addressed those topics and more across two virtual meetings last week, totaling nearly four hours.

The meetings didn’t break much news specific to Vashon but clarified timelines for a few projects near and dear to islanders, such as restoration of the Triangle Route, which connects passengers between Fauntleroy (West Seattle), Vashon Island and Southworth on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Since the fall of 2021, that route has officially been reduced to a two-boat schedule, rather than the three-boat schedule on which it has traditionally run.

Fauntleroy Dock

Along with restoring ferry service, the future of the aging Fauntleroy dock is crucial for Vashon residents, who rely on the Triangle route to access the Seattle area.

It must be rebuilt, WSF says: The terminal is vulnerable to earthquakes and rising sea levels. Its aging timber is treated with creosote, and debris collects under the trestle. The dock’s small size causes backups and inefficient loading; Issaquah-class ferries using it hold 124 cars each, but the dock only holds roughly 80 cars.

WSF has ruled out moving the dock elsewhere.

In 2023, WSF pitched three dock size categories. It’s now “moving forward” with Option B, the middle-way alternative that can handle at least a full boat’s worth of vehicles, Director of External Relations John Vezina said in an interview — between 124 and 155 cars. (Option A would have held 76 to 84 vehicles, while Option C would fit 186 and eliminate the need for a Fauntleroy Way queue altogether. The current dock holds only about 84 cars.)

“We think that’s most realistic,” Vezina said, including for environmental reasons.

Local ferry advocates had pushed for the largest possible dock to make loading easier and keep waiting cars out of the Fauntleroy roadway.

What’s next for the $93 million project?

WSF will host one more open house from Feb. 24 through March 21 to canvass public opinion on the project. Learn more by visiting tinyurl.com/FauntDockRebuild.

WSF plans to select its “preferred alternative” dock design this year. Environmental review will take place, including a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, from 2025 through 2027. WSF plans to start design and construction between 2027 through 2029.

“Once funded and the NEPA process is cleared … we can start the process of constructing a new dock,” WSF Director of Terminal Engineering David Sowers said.

Some progress is coming sooner: This fall, WSF hopes to start work on signalizing the intersection at Fauntleroy Way SW, which has until now occasionally had off-duty police officers directing traffic.

Traffic on the road is often a mess, with a non-signaled three-way intersection that handles unloading vehicles, busses stopping and starting and swarms of children getting out of school.

It can be “mayhem,” Sowers said, and adding a signal should make it safer and more predictable.

Other goals WSF has identified:

Widening the lanes and making dedicated lanes for walkers, bikers and motorcyclists; building a new terminal building; and adding dedicated parking to serve people with disabilities. There are no plans to expand the dock to facilitate greater-than-three-ferry service, WSF has said.

WSF has considered using GoodToGo! or similar technology at the new Fauntleroy terminal, Sowers said, at the request of ferry advisory groups. There are advantages, he said, but also costs and legislative hurdles.

“It’s something we’ve taken a look at, I don’t know at this point if it could be implemented at Fauntleroy,” Sowers said. “We’ve talked about rolling it out systemwide — [that’s] still many years away.”

Triangle Route service

“When will the Fauntleroy-Vashon route return to three-boat service?” one participant asked.

By the end of the month, WSF will release an updated service contingency plan, which includes their estimate for restored service on Vashon, Vezina replied. Bremerton and the Triangle Route are next on the list for restoration, Vezina said, but crewing and boat availability continue to delay those efforts.

“I would expect that you will know within the next few weeks what our plans are,” he said.

Why not run the ghost boat fully as a third boat? It’s not the right size to reliably serve a three boat schedule, Vezina said.

He detailed this point in a follow-up interview with The Beachcomber: “Just before COVID, we redid the schedule. It’s based on three Issaquah class [124 car] vessels. … If you try to put one of these other boats in, it’s too slow to keep the schedule, and it’s small, not able to do the full load you thought you’d be able to [take]. … It wouldn’t be able to keep the three boat schedule. … We’re working hard to get three Issaquah class vessels on the route.”

WSF will update the two-boat Triangle route schedule this summer, Vezina said during the presentation, following a community engagement period this spring.

That schedule update is thanks to funding from the legislature last year for WSF to hire a second service planner, which allowed them to pursue a consultant to get the route rewritten.

Other topics

One participant asked: Could the Point Defiance – Tahlequah route get a larger boat during busy summer months?

“That route is small and short, [and] there’s only certain vessels we assign there,” Vezina said. “As busy as the south end of Vashon is in the summer, all the places that have our bigger boats — they are exponentially busier. … We just really don’t have the vessel availabilities.”

What about the risk of losing federal funding, which comprises around 19% of WSF’s budget, under President Donald Trump’s administration?

“It’s still too early” to say, said Director of Finance and Administration Todd Lamphere. “We … are monitoring the situation.”

The construction of new ferries isn’t tied to any federal funding, WSF Deputy Secretary Steve Nevey added.

Vezina closed the first meeting with praise for community ferry advocates.

“Out of every crisis comes some good stuff, and one of them is ‘Fix our Ferries’,” Vezina said. “The folks on Vashon, who are doing ‘Don’t Squawk on the Dock’, the folks at Brermerton, who are going on the boats once a month and just thanking employees … It’s not just a nice thing to do. … We need to have a reputation as a good place to work.”

You can find the WSF meeting recordings, and more information on the Fauntleroy terminal project and Triangle Route restoration, by visiting tinyurl.com/WSFCommPart.