FERRY TERMINAL: Center of Upheaval
By Kevin Dwyer, Sun Staff — Jun 10th, 1998
* Construction of the new Bremerton Transportation Center will force ferry commuters into new driving and parking habits.
If you're a Bremerton ferry commuter, the fun and confusion is about to begin.
Beginning this Sunday, noticeable changes will take place in and around the ferry terminal in preparation for construction of the new Bremerton Transportation Center.
Buses will be re-routed, existing parking spaces will be drastically reduced, free commuter bus and ferry service will be offered and free park and ride lots will be made available.
The complex moves are designed to reduce traffic congestion in and out of the ferry terminal.
Ferry commuters already have witnessed a number of changes at the terminal, including the closure of First Street to all auto traffic and removal of the overhead loading dock. Walk-on passengers for the auto ferries now load and unload from the car decks.
The new transportation center, expected to get under way in mid-July, is the first visible step in the redevelopment of downtown Bremerton. It will provide a variety of services to Kitsap Transit and Washington State Ferry commuters.
But the 15-month construction project will throw a curve at unsuspecting customers who are used to dropping off spouses and loved-ones close to the ferry terminal, parking in the nearby city parking lot or taking a familiar bus downtown.
All that is about to change as buildings, streets and parking lots near the ferry terminal become construction sites or staging areas. Here's what Bremerton commuters can expect in the weeks ahead:
* The city-owned parking lot behind the Wheelhouse/Topside restaurants on the Bremerton waterfront will be closed.
Part of it will become a construction staging area. The rest will become a bus loading and turnaround area that buses will access from the corner of Second Street and Washington Avenue.
Ferry passengers leaving the buses will follow the nearby Boardwalk to the ferry docks.
About 175 parking spaces will be eliminated from downtown lots.
* A small temporary ferry terminal building and waiting area will be built on the parking lot site.
* First Street will reopen for autos dropping off and picking up ferry passengers starting Monday. But it will close again July 15 as the current ferry terminal area is sealed off for demolition and construction.
When First Street closes again, private auto access for "kiss and ride" passenger drop off and pick-up will be in the the Diamond Parking Service lot east of Washington Avenue between Burwell and Second Streets. Kiss and ride drivers will be asked to line up on Burwell to enter the lot.
Diamond will spend more than $80,000 to resurface its parking lot and mark a lane for the drop-off area. Cars will exit the lot up Second Street, while passengers use the Boardwalk to access the ferries.
"We're doing it because it's the right thing to do during the balance of the project," said Ross Allanson of Diamond Parking.
* Kitsap Transit will provide free rides during commuter hours to passengers riding between the West and East Bremerton transfer centers and downtown. Free service will be from the start of the day until 8:55 a.m. and from 3:40 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. each weekday. The Horluck ferries between Port Orchard and Bremerton will be free during the same time frame.
In addition, the transit agency's No. 81 Annapolis commuter bus that links to the Annapolis-Bremerton foot ferry will be free.
* Beginning Monday, Kitsap Transit will provide free shuttle buses from designated park and ride lots for ferry commuters. The effected routes include the No. 22 (Westside Parking Shuttle) and the No. 27 (Eastside Parking Shuttle).
In addition, Kitsap Transit is creating new free ride park and ride lots at Sixth and Montgomery and Sheridan and Lower Wheaton Way. The new lots will be served by a shuttle to the ferry terminal.
Key BTC Dates
* Sunday, June 14: City of Bremerton's parking lot at the waterfront closes at midnight.
* Monday, June 15: Free Park & Ride lots open and Kitsap Transit shuttles begin.
* Sunday, June 21: Bus loading zone for the downtown transfer center will be relocated to Second Street and the Boardwalk
* Wednesday, July 1: Free bus rides for commuters to and from the Bremerton ferry terminal begin.
* Mid-July: Ferry terminal closes; temporary waiting room opens next to transit drop-off lanes.
Area for drivers dropping off ferry walk-on passengers moves to the Diamond Co. parking lot east of Washington Avenue between Burwell and and Second streets.
Kitsap Transit Customer Service office relocates to the Enetai Building on Washington Avenue, next to the Bremerton Area Chamber of Commerce office.
Source: Kitsap Transit
Reach Kevin Dwyer at (360) 792-8569 or at kdwyer@thesunlink.com.
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