The Fauntleroy ferry terminal in West Seattle serves nearly 2.3 million riders per year, supporting Washington State Ferries’ “Triangle” route between Fauntleroy, Southworth and Vashon Island. The terminal was built in the 1950s and needs significant work to preserve the terminal and maintain safe and reliable ferry service.
The terminal faces several challenges, including:
- Aging, seismically vulnerable parts of the terminal that are overdue for replacement.
- Rising sea levels risk damage to the terminal from debris during future high tides.
- Ferry traffic backing up along Fauntleroy Way SW, with only one lane to serve two destinations.
- A small dock with capacity for about 84 cars serves three Issaquah Class ferries that hold 124 cars each.
from debris during high tides.
The purpose of this project is to improve operations on the Triangle ferry route and preserve and upgrade the terminal facilities consistent with WSF’s 2040 Long Range Plan. All alternatives WSF considered address core issues to maintain safe, reliable and efficient service for our customers.
Overview of PEL process
We are using a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) process to identify transportation issues, environmental concerns, community values during project planning.
The PEL study began in 2021. The project team used technical analysis and input from the community and advisory groups to select an alternative to refine further in environmental review.
The PEL process included several rounds of screening to evaluate alternatives. WSF completed Level 1 and Level 2 screening in 2021 and 2022, resulting in two main options: replacing the terminal at the existing location with either a similar size dock or a larger dock. After completing Level 2 screening, WSF refined a set of six detailed alternatives for further evaluation and screening. WSF recently completed Level 3 screening to identify an alternative. WSF considered things like traffic conditions, environmental considerations and ways to make terminal operations safer and more efficient for everyone. The project team also studied Good To Go! (GTG!) and advance ticketing as potential options to improve operational efficiency.
WSF will wrap up the PEL study report in 2025, summarizing the results of the planning process, including the decision to advance a dock footprint based on the B Alternatives forward to the National and State Environmental Policy Act (NEPA/SEPA) environmental review process. We will further refine and study potential environmental impacts and benefits of this alternative in more detail during NEPA/SEPA.
WSF will continue engaging all three Triangle route communities throughout the project.
Environment around the terminal
In developing and evaluating each alternative, WSF must consider important environmental resources and features near the terminal, including:
- Intertidal and nearshore habitats near the dock provide valuable habitat for salmon and other marine wildlife. There is no eelgrass or macroalgae in the area around the end of the dock where propeller wash from vessels creates a scour hole.
- Fauntleroy Creek flows under Fauntleroy Way SW, under the dock and into Puget Sound. Fauntleroy Creek provides spawning habitat for coho salmon and coastal cutthroat trout.
- The 430 creosote-treated timber piles supporting the aging dock. The dock includes more than 1,000 tons of creosote-treated timber—a known water pollutant. The density of timber piles also influences the flow of Puget Sound and Fauntleroy Creek, causing debris and driftwood to snag and collect under the dock and on the shore. This makes it difficult for fish to pass to and from Fauntleroy Creek.
- Cove Park offers public waterfront access and a narrow sandy beach next to the dock.
- Captain’s Park provides a public green space with bench seating across Fauntleroy Way SW from the terminal entrance.
