Ed Friedrich

ed.friedrich@kitsapsun.com

BREMERTON —Planners juggled several variables in crafting a proposed schedule for Kitsap Transit fast ferry service between Bremerton and Seattle. The result will be shared during a series of community meetings Saturday and April 1.

Project manager Carla Sawyer and members of KPFF Consulting Engineers worked around two absolutes. Seattle docking times must fit within King County Water Taxi ferries arriving from West Seattle and Vashon Island.

"It's very tight in the morning commute time with three routes operating out of two slips," Sawyer said of Pier 50 passenger-only ferry float.

And the Kitsap Transit fast ferry can't cross paths with a state car ferry in narrow Rich Passage.

"Navigationally, it's not good because of the additional wake, so that's to be avoided," Sawyer said.

Beginning in July, Rich Passage 1 will make three round trips during the morning commute and three during the evening rush, plus 10 round trips on Saturdays. Like Kitsap Transit buses, it won't operate on Sundays. Bus service will be added to meet departures and arrivals during commuting hours. The Port-Orchard-Bremerton foot ferry schedule could be adjusted to improve connections with the fast ferry.

Planners tried to schedule fast ferries to depart shortly before car ferries so car ferries could be backups in case the 118-passenger RP1 runs out of seats. They were more successful during the evening commute from Seattle, with 20-minute gaps, than during the mornings from Bremerton, at 30 to 45 minutes.

They also paid heed to preferred arrival and departure times published in a recent survey of 1,242 respondents.

The largest number of Bremerton survey participants wanted to arrive in Seattle around 7:30 a.m. The proposed 6:50 a.m. boat would get them there around 7:20 a.m. The most popular Seattle departure time was around 5:30 p.m. A proposed 5:15 p.m. sailing would be expected to handle the afternoon rush.

"I think we did a pretty good job, given the constraints," Sawyer said of the schedule. "With just one boat, you can only turn it around every 70 minutes (between round trips, with a 28-minute crossing and 7 minutes for unloading and loading). That poses some restrictions on how close you can meet people's preferred travel times."

A second boat is planned to join the route in 2019. Service from Kingston to downtown Seattle will begin in 2018 and from Southworth in 2020.

The Saturday boat runs all day long, beginning at 10:30 a.m. from Bremerton. The final 11:30 p.m. departure from Seattle could prevent people from having to leave events early to catch the car ferry at 10:30 p.m. There isn't another until 12:50 a.m. Non-commuters said earlier that their preferred service would be on Saturdays. There is no Saturday service between October and April.

After previous fast ferries damaged Rich Passage beaches, scientists recommended the Rich Passage 1 start with a limited number of sailings and add trips while monitoring the shores. Two more Saturday round trips -- late Friday night sailings and midday departures on weekdays -- are possible later in the summer, Sawyer said.

Kitsap Transit is conducting a follow-up survey to help fine-tune the proposed schedule before this summer's launch.

Full-price fares will be $2 eastbound and $10 westbound.

At community meetings Saturday and April 1, Kitsap Transit executive director John Clauson will go over the schedule, give an update on preparations for the system's launch, share information about other plans and projects, answer questions and take comments.

The March 25 meetings will be 9 a.m. at Bremerton's Harborside Building, 60 Washington Ave.; 11:30 a.m. at Bainbridge City Hall, 280 Madison Ave.; and 3 p.m. at Kingston's Village Green, 26159 Dulay Road.

On April 1, they'll be 9:30 a.m. at North Kitsap Transit Center, 21992 Viking Ave.; 11:30 at Oxford Suites, 9550 Silverdale Way; and 3 p.m. at Port Orchard City Hall, 216 Prospect St.

A second Bremerton meeting will be 6 p.m. April 5 at the Harborside Building.

Proposed schedule

Kitsap Transit's proposed schedule for the new passenger-only ferry service, scheduled to launch this summer between Bremerton and Seattle.

Monday through Friday

Departing Bremerton: 5:40 a.m., 6:50 a.m., 8 a.m., 3:25 p.m., 4:35 p.m., 5:50 p.m.

Departing Seattle: 6:15 a.m., 7:25 a.m., 8:35 a.m., 4 p.m., 5:15 p.m., 6:25 p.m.

Saturday

Departing Bremerton: 10:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 1:10 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:50 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:50 p.m., 8:10 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:50 p.m.

Departing Seattle: 11:10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:50 p.m., 3:10 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:10 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:50 p.m., 10:10 p.m., 11:30 p.m.