Seattle-Bainbridge ferry route will not allow drive-ons Sept. 7-12
Cars load onto a ferry at the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal on Aug. 24, 2022.
The Seattle/Bainbridge ferry route, the second busiest in the Washington State Ferries (WSF) system for drive-on vehicles, will not be allowing any drive-on vehicles – including bicycles – for six days in September while work crews install a wider, safer concrete and steel walkway that meets current seismic code.
The route will also be cut back to a one-boat sailing schedule during the installation process.
Travelers, mark your calendars: The work will happen from 1 AM Thursday, Sept. 7, to 3 AM, Wednesday, Sept. 13, according to the project page on the state’s website. During that period, WSF says, the only way to board WSF boats on either side of the route will be as a walk-on passenger.
According to 2022 WSF traffic statistics, the Seattle/Bainbridge route carried more than 1.59 million foot passengers and 1.17 million vehicle passengers last year, as well as more than 1.66 million vehicles. The only WSF route that carried more vehicles and vehicle passengers was the Mukilteo-Clinton route, with 1.96 million vehicles and 1.23 million vehicle passengers.
If you drive a car to Bainbridge and catch the WSF boat to Seattle, you have many alternatives:
Take a bus: We operate 10 fixed routes on Bainbridge Island – eight serve other parts of the island, while Route 333 goes to Silverdale and Route 390 operates service to Poulsbo. Our on-demand BI Ride bus service covers most of Bainbridge and offers curb-to-curb convenience during the hours our fixed routes aren’t operating.
Use a park & ride lot: No bus stop near you? Our buses pick up and drop off at three park & rides on Bainbridge and seven park & ride lots in Poulsbo and other parts of North Kitsap. Get full details on our park & rides on our website and park for free.
Take the Kingston Fast Ferry: Our fast ferry service between Kingston and downtown Seattle offers a crossing time of approximately 40 minutes. No cars. Walk-ons only. Bicycles and electric scooters allowed, with limitations; see the Kingston Fast Ferry’s schedule page for details.
If you bike to the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal and need a place to store it during this period, consider our Bike Barn. This facility next to the terminal offers 79 indoor and 33 outdoor storage hooks for bicycles. All bicycle storage is on a first-come, first-served basis and free. For details and restrictions, visit the Bike Barn’s webpage.
Kitsap Transit offers trip-planning assistance as well as mobile apps to track your ride in real time. Contact Customer Service at 1-800-501-RIDE.