Seattle ferries to operate staggered weekend schedule for work on Colman Dock Only 1 slip will be open to both Bainbridge Island and Bremerton routes

The M/V Wenatchee, one of three Jumbo Mark II class ferries in the Washington State Ferries system. The M/V Wenatchee, one of three Jumbo Mark II class ferries in the Washington State Ferries system. Photo: WSDOT Photo: WSDOT Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Seattle ferries to operate staggered weekend schedule for work on Colman Dock 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

Those planning to take a ferry between Bainbridge Island or Bremerton and Seattle this weekend should plan ahead for a staggered schedule.

Just one slip will be open Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 27-28 for construction. Just two Bainbridge Island sailings will be cancelled, but all sailings will operate on a different schedule than normal, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) spokeswoman Broch Bender said.

"The cool thing about this project is that we're doing this critical work while keeping the ferry terminal completely open," Bender said. The two cancelled sailings will help ensure the other sailings do not experience major delays.

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Most sailings will shift between five and 30 minutes. The full temporary schedule can be viewed at this link.

Work being done this weekend is an unplanned continuation of work that was started last weekend, Bender said. The northern slip will close so a giant barge with a floating crane can drive in piles that will support a work platform and large crane, which will be used for demolition and future pile driving work when the north part of the terminal is replaced next year.

The current timber piles are over 70 years old, Bender said, and so they cannot support the weight of the crane needed to replace them. The new piles will be made of steel.

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Last weekend's work had to be cut short when fog rolled in. Fog was so dense that protected species observers couldn't see the surface of the water to determine if marine mammals or marbled murrelets were in the area.

"We do not do work when those species are in the area," Bender said. Typically, if a protected species is seen during pile-driving work, that work is paused until the animal leaves.

Colman Dock replacement projects began in 2017 and are expected to continue through 2023. This weekend, five piles will be replaced.

Producer Natalie Guevara can be contacted at natalie.guevara@seattlepi.com.