WSF report | Thanks to Walla Walla crew, community meetings feedback, construction projects continue thru summer

||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

Governor thanks ferry employees working during the Walla Walla grounding

On Friday, Gov. Jay Inslee personally thanked several of our employees for their professionalism and expertise in the moments before and after Walla Walla ran aground in Rich Passage on April 15. A fuel issue caused the vessel’s generators to fail, which led to a loss of propulsion and steering controls while travelling from Bremerton to Seattle. As soon as the crew knew there was no choice but to run aground, they immediately deployed the anchor to slow down the ferry and warned passengers to brace for impact. Because of their quick thinking and actions, no one was hurt. Once aground, crewmembers immediately made sure everyone put on a life preserver and deployed slides in case an immediate evacuation became necessary. Fortunately, that was not the case, and all passengers were evacuated via a Kitsap County passenger-only ferry. We appreciate the support our Kitsap County transportation partners provided that evening.

Gov. Jay Inslee thanks several of our employees who worked the evening of the Walla Walla grounding at Bremerton terminal Friday.

An investigation into what caused the fuel issue is ongoing. New, upgraded generator monitoring gauges have been installed on both Walla Walla and its sister ship Spokane to prevent a similar incident from happening again. Thank you to all our vessel crews for the hard work and training you do to make sure everyone is safe when riding our ferries!

On my way to Bremerton, I had a chat aboard Chimacum with Ordinary Sailors John Conklin (center) and Matthew Frantz (left), who completed his OS training this week.

Update on construction at Seattle’s Colman dock

Our Colman Dock project construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the new entry building along Alaskan Way. They’re also preparing for inspections required before the structure and elevated walkway linking it to the terminal building can open to the public. We’ll announce an opening date after the inspections are done. If you travel through our Seattle terminal in a motor vehicle or bike, you’ve also probably noticed the pavement has been resurfaced and striped. The final element of the new Colman Dock is the city of Seattle’s Marion Street pedestrian bridge. It’s scheduled to open in late summer.

Construction equipment that was staged in the vehicle holding lanes and elevated walkway are now gone as crews get ready for final inspections.

Recap of recent virtual community meetings

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our recent series of six virtual community meetings co-hosted by our local Ferry Advisory Committees! We answered questions and received great feedback on a range of topics including service restoration, our electrification efforts, proposed fare changes and route-specific issues. A video recording of each meeting is available on our community participation webpage. Thanks to the 435 people who attended the webinars and those who provided feedback!

Longest-tenured captain retires

Commodore Greg Sugden, our longest-tenured captain, retired last week after serving roughly 44 years with us, working his way up from ordinary sailor. He has worked aboard every ferry and route, spending much of his final years on our Seattle/Bainbridge run, where he was featured on the job in an employee profile video last year. Curt Larson is now our “commodore,” the title our crews give the longest-serving captain in the fleet. Congratulations Greg!

The Great Ferry Race on Seattle/Bainbridge route Sunday, June 11

Heads up if your ferry travels take you to Bainbridge Island on Sunday, June 11! Hundreds of people participating in The Great Ferry Race will be on our 7:55 a.m. Seattle to Bainbridge sailing. Upon arrival, they will begin a half marathon around the island that may cause traffic delays. The event is scheduled to end at 1 p.m.

There is a lot of summer construction this year – here’s how to prepare

Construction is picking up to provide Washington travelers safer and more accessible transportation systems and to improve environmental habitats. From paving to bridge repairs to creating better routes for fish in area waterways, you’ll see lots of crews working this summer on and near state highways, and that means closures, delays or congestion. Many of these projects will overlap in locations and timing – and in most cases, there is no way to avoid weekends, holidays and large events.

While WSDOT works to make these road improvements it will be more important than ever to stay informed and “know before you go,” whether traveling across town or statewide. Tools, tips and an explanation of the extent of the work is available in two recent WSDOT blog posts: Here comes the sun – and a LOT of summer construction and Why there will probably be roadwork during the event you’re going to this summer.