Seismic Retrofitting Project Saves Taxpayers Millions

Photograph courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation

Since its construction in 1957, the Vashon Island Ferry Terminal is the critical link that connects the communities on Puget Sound’s western shore to the Seattle mainland — an average of 30 sailings per day depart to West Seattle’s Fauntleroy dock. With there being an estimated 50 percent chance of the terminal collapsing in the next 75 years, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Washington State Ferries prioritized replacing its existing timber trestles. However, the price tag of $40 million was too much even for this critical link, and Washington State Ferries sought a workaround that would still deliver the seismic upgrade at a lower cost. Read more…