Reducing Downtime for the Kingston Passenger Ferry Dock

Kitsap Transit operates a passenger-only ferry service between several cities on the Kitsap Peninsula and Seattle, Washington. Kitsap Transit operates the Kingston floating passenger ferry dock used for embarking/disembarking passengers, heavy weather vessel moorage, and vessel maintenance. The dock was originally built by a private ferry operator, which positioned the dock based on a number of factors that resulted in an orientation that is aligned at an angle to the predominant wave direction. Dock motion as a result of wind, waves, and vessel wakes is an ongoing concern for facility operations, posing a safety concern for passengers, risking damage to the vessels and dock, and causing service interruptions. An engineering desktop study was conducted in 2023 to identify the preferred alternative that improves passenger safety under operating conditions, improves heavy weather vessel moorage during non-operational periods, and minimizes the environmental impact and costs of proposed improvements.