One day in the not-so-distant future, it could be possible to get from Shilshole to downtown Seattle via water taxi. King County is looking at possibilities of expanding their water taxi services, and one of the expansion areas is Ballard.
According to an interim expansion report from the King County Marine Division, the route would be from Pier 50 in downtown Seattle to Shilshole Marina. The report details that both Pier 50 and Shilshole would require, “minimal in-water improvements as current infrastructure is in place.” Shilshole would require some work on the dock designated for pickups and dropoffs. Additionally, signage, ticket machines, and some security equipment would be installed. Other additional expansion routes include Kenmore (Log Boom Park) to University of Washington (Waterfront Activity Center), and Kirkland (Marina Park) to University of Washington (Waterfront Activity Center). The Ballard to Pier 50 service would require the least amount of improvements to become operational, according to the report.
The report compares the commute via car and transit to the water taxi option, and estimates it would take 29 minutes to travel by boat versus 34 minutes by road. The report also projects that in its first year, a water taxi could have an annual ridership of 59,433 passengers.
The interim report was recently reviewed by the County Council’s TrEE Committee (Transportation, Economy and Environment); the council will be presented with a final report at the end of this month based on feedback from the interim report. If the expansion plans move forward, there will be an environmental permitting process, which includes public and agency input.
Thanks for the tip, Alex!
