Construction to improve the pick-up and drop-off area at Ferry Dock Road in Clinton is scheduled to start in the fall, according to a Washington State Ferries spokesperson.

An earlier start date of the project had originally been proposed.

The $3-million, state-funded project will widen the one-lane road, add a separate pick-up and drop-off zone with a through lane and a covered pedestrian platform, bring sidewalks up to ADA standards and build a new retaining wall on Columbia Beach Drive, according to a report on the design.

The pick-up, drop-off zone will include about nine stalls, a covered area and a bench, the report states. Stormwater drain improvements are also included in the plan with the intention of improving safety on a section of sidewalk that gets covered in sheet ice in the winter.

Hadley Rodero, Washington State Ferries communication manager, said the agency will begin advertising for contractors at the end of this month.

“Starting in fall also allows us to avoid impacting pick up/drop off and access to the terminal during the busy summer season,” Rodero said in an email.

Construction is expected to be completed by spring in 2019. The project will be funded through the $16 billion Connecting Washington funding package, according to the report. The 2015 package is a 16-year program funded by a tax increase on gas.

The funds must be used by the end of June 2019, Rodero said.