Ferry delays expected through mid-June
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Ferry commuters should expect delays on the triangle route through mid-June while the Issaquah is out of service and replaced with a smaller boat.
According to a Washington State Ferries alert sent out earlier this week, the 124-car Issaquah is undergoing “required maintenance” and is being replaced by the 87-car Tillikum. The Issaquah will not return until next month.
Other delays are also expected through May 31 as crews work on the final phase of seismic retrofitting at the dock. One of the two ferry slips at the dock will be closed Mondays through Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Service may be delayed during these times when more than one ferry needs to use the available slip.
To help speed up offloading, an additional ferry offloading lane will be in place for the remainder of construction.
Meanwhile, the Vashon water taxi returned to normal service this week after adding additional sailings while the Alaskan Way Viaduct was closed.
The viaduct closed on April 30 and reopened on Monday, days ahead of schedule. The tunneling machine Bertha was expected to take two weeks to tunnel under the seismically unstable, raised roadway.
