The end is near. But that’s good, since this end will mean construction work at the Clinton ferry dock is over.
By July, the last construction crew should pull away from the Clinton dock, which has been under nearly continuous reconstruction since 1998.
This week, the end not only seemed near, but was in sight. Even as cars were backed up Highway 525 due to a restricted car holding area on the dock, contractor Manson Construction was laying down concrete decking atop a new concrete and steel support structure. The company removed the last pieces of the 40-year-old wood dock this past fall.
This second and final phase of dock construction will cost approximately $13.2 million, according to Russ East, Washington State Ferries dock construction supervisor. Manson’s original bid for the project was $11,993,196.
By comparison, the reconstruction of the first half of the dock — which included a passenger waiting area and covered walkway — cost $13.5 million.
It could have cost millions more. At first, the ferry system planned to build three ferry slips onto the dock to prepare for the day when the Clinton-Mukilteo run would be served by three ferries. Cutbacks after the passage of car-tab Initiative 695, plus the uncertain future of the single-slip dock in Mukilteo, had the ferry system scaling its plans back.
At least one more slip in Mukilteo would be needed before a third boat could be added to the run.
“It doesn’t make sense to have three in Clinton and one in Mukilteo,” East said Thursday.
While some reconstruction work at the Mukilteo dock will begin in February, it won’t include another slip. According to WSF, the work is essentially maintenance and calls for the replacement existing towers and a few other structures.
A finished Clinton dock will benefit local traffic patterns. The old wooden dock held only 85 cars, so excess for the 130-car ferries on the run had to park along Highway 525 while waiting for incoming boats. The new dock will hold approximately 140 cars, East said.
The second phase of dock construction will also add a high occupancy vehicle lane for commuters.
