A dedication ceremony was held on October 23, 2023, to celebrate Seattle’s new multimodal ferry terminal at Colman Dock.
Governor Jay Inslee, Mayor Bruce Harrell, Squamish Tribal Council Vice Chair Josh Bagley, Muckleshoot Tribal Vice Chair Donny Stevenson, and other local officials joined the celebration.
The Colman Dock project includes a new ferry terminal with a main terminal building, an entry building with retail space, a new elevated walkway over Marion Street, and a passenger-only ferry pick-up and drop-off area.
The project is also helping the restoration of the salmon habitat by opening 180 feet of shoreline where a bulkhead once sat.
Construction on the waterfront started in 2017 and cost $489 million to construct. PSRC provided $62 million to the project.
This is a key piece to the waterfront redevelopment, an ongoing project that has started since 2011 and is slated to be almost finished by 2025.
The modernized ferry terminal is close to multiple transit modes and will facilitate multimodal connections to the Link light rail and RapidRide.
“Our ferry system has a new front door,” said Governor Inslee. “America’s largest ferry system is evolving, and this terminal is a sign of things to come. It’s gorgeous, it’s accessible, and it’s a technological marvel. It’s a next-generation dock for the next-generation, hybrid-electric ferries you’ll see on our waters here soon.”
The terminal will serve 10 million people a year as the project continues. Things to look forward to in 2024 are new tribal named plazas along Alaskan Way; sluʔwił for the south plaza near Yesler Way and ʔulułali for the north plaza near Columbia Street. The terminal will also include up to 10 retail businesses and indigenous art installations. View the Colman Dock Dedication Ceremony.