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Wednesday, April 26, 2006
State will replace worm-eaten Colman Dock
Noting that some of the structures at Colman Dock are literally being eaten away by shipworms, Washington State Ferries officials are urgently planning to replace and expand the aging ferry terminal there.
The proposed multi-use project could include a new public park, a cultural center and additional private developments ranging from a hotel and condos to office and retail space, under the ferry system's plan.
The project to replace the terminal will cost $225 million, funds that will be collected over the next 10 years and paid out of the ferry system's budget.
Ferry system officials, who held the second of two open houses Monday to show some of the details of the development, say there are several urgent reasons for the fix.
First, they say, ridership systemwide is projected to increase 70 percent by 2030 -- including triple the current number of walk-on passengers at Colman Dock.
The terminal needs to have better connections to surrounding streets, they say, and improved facilities for the use of pedestrians, bicyclists and car poolers to relieve congested traffic on Alaskan Way.
But mostly, the somewhat decrepit structure, originally built in 1936, is near the end of its tether, officials say. For starters, the timber decking and pilings underneath the dock are being devoured by shipworms and other marine animals and need replacing, they say. The structure is also in need of seismic and electrical upgrades.
"The basic, core need is to fix the ferry terminal function," said ferry spokeswoman Hadley Greene. "That building is being held together by Band-Aids, basically."
Greene said none of the plans for the possible development on Pier 52 or the adjacent Pier 48 has yet been completed. The plans call for the private development -- which would help generate revenue for the ferry system -- to be next to the terminal and above an increased parking area.
Over the next two years, the ferry system will be completing an environmental impact statement.
The plan calls for the current terminal to remain operational when phased construction begins in 2011, ferry officials say. The project should take five years to build.
In 2003, 9.4 million passengers used the terminal at Colman Dock, with an average of about 31,000 using the facility daily.
By 2030, the number could swell to 21.7 million passengers, the ferry system predicts. They estimate that will include far greater numbers of walk-on passengers and relatively fewer cars.
The plan also calls for additional ferry slips to allow the ferry from Southworth to commute directly to Colman Dock instead of the Fauntleroy terminal in West Seattle.
More headlines and info from Belltown, Downtown, International District, Pioneer Square.
What amenities would you like to see at a rebuilt ferry terminal?
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