Seattle/Bainbridge state ferry route closed to drive

SEATTLE ­– Washington State Ferries' overhead passenger walkway project on Bainbridge Island replaces the 50-year-old wooden walkway with a new seismically safe structure. Installing the large walkway spans requires a six-day closure of the entire vehicle holding area for passenger safety.

The Seattle/Bainbridge route will be shut down to vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and electric scooters from 1 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, to 3 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13. Service between Seattle and Bainbridge Island will remain open to walk-on and ADA passengers within specified times each day during peak travel times and large regional events. WSF will accommodate emergency medical vehicles, in coordination with local emergency services, during those hours.

The closure is necessary to allow crews to stage cranes and equipment to lift and lower the walkway spans onto concrete and steel pilings in the water. WSF is exploring additional service options on other routes during the closure.

In addition to the six-day closure, the project requires two to three short closures of the existing overhead passenger walkway to update mechanical equipment. During those closures, all walk-on and roll-on passengers will load and offload using the car deck. Special accommodations will be made for ADA passengers. There will be no changes for drive-on passengers or bicyclists. The dates for the walkway closures have not been scheduled.

WSF will provide more details about the separate six-day vehicle and walkway closures in the coming months to help ferry riders plan ahead. Frequent users of the route are encouraged to sign up for project updates.

WSF, a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation, is the largest ferry system in the U.S. and safely and efficiently carries tens of millions of people a year through some of the most majestic scenery in the world. For breaking news and the latest information, follow WSF on Twitter and Facebook.