New Mukilteo ferry terminal debuts for Puget Sound passengers
Interior of new Mukilteo-Clinton ferry terminal. Photo courtesy: Washington State Department of Transportation.
MUKILTEO, Wash. - A new Washington State Ferries terminal in Mukilteo made its debut to Puget Sound passengers on Tuesday.
The ferry terminal marks the state's first terminal built in over 40 years. A virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony was held before toll booths opened at 5 p.m. and the first sailing departed at 6:10 p.m.
Exterior of the new Mukilteo-Clinton ferry terminal. Photo courtesy: Washington State Department of Transportation.
WSDOT says the terminal has been in need of improvements since the early 1980s. The $187.3 million state and federally funded new ferry terminal meets seismic standards and should improve safety and traffic congestion for walk-on passengers and drive-on traffic.
The Mukilteo/Clinton ferry route will be a part of the State Route 525, a major connector from Whidbey Island to Seattle-Everett. Washington State Department of Transportation says it’s one of the state’s busiest routes, with over 4 million passengers each year.
According to the WSDOT website, the new Mukilteo Multimodal ferry terminal project includes:
• Passenger building and maintenance building
• Passenger overhead loading
• Toll plaza with four toll booths and seven-vehicle holding lanes
• In-water docking and loading structures
• Transit center for connections to buses and trains
• Signalized intersection and expanded vehicle holding area to reduce congestion on SR 525.
• Waterfront promenade that will link up to a city park
• Transit center located near the Sounder Commuter Rail Station
The terminal lies on Indigenous lands, traditional territory to the Coast Salish people and Tulalip Tribes. WSDOT worked with several tribes on the development of the new terminal.
Exterior of the new Mukilteo-Clinton ferry terminal. Photo courtesy: Washington State Department of Transportation.