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Washington State Ferries said it is preparing to welcome nearly 400,000 Independence Day weekend travelers.
For Port Townsend/Coupeville riders, the holiday will have an extra cause for celebration, the ferry system said. Starting July 4, a second boat will run every Friday through Monday through the end of the route’s shoulder season on Oct. 13. This is the third and final step in WSF’s plan to return to nearly full domestic service, three years earlier than originally planned.
The first step was to bring back two-boat service on the Seattle/Bremerton run on June 15. The second will be to restart a daily three-boat schedule on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth on Monday, June 30.
“We are pleased to have 18 boats in service for what will likely be our busiest ridership weekend of the year,” said WSF Deputy Secretary Steve Nevey. “I appreciate our staff’s work over the holiday weekend to provide the best service we can for our riders.”
People boarding a vessel in a vehicle should use the WSDOT mobile app or visit the WSF website before heading to the terminal. The app features sailing schedules by route, live terminal conditions, rider alerts, a real-time map and vehicle reservations.
Busy travel times
The busiest sailings for vehicles will likely be westbound (or onto an island) Wednesday through Friday, July 2-4, then eastbound (or off island) Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6. To help with wait times, riders may consider taking an early morning or late-night sailing or by using transit to walk or bike onto the ferry if possible.
Holiday schedule changes
On the Fourth of July, there will be a few holiday changes to daily schedules for the Edmonds/Kingston route. Seattle/Bainbridge and Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth will run on weekend timetables. All other routes will operate on their normal Friday schedules. Holiday sailings are marked on each route’s schedule.
As a reminder, it is against the law to set off or transport illegal fireworks aboard a state ferry.
People using state highways to get to a ferry terminal can plan for potential holiday travel backups and delays by checking real-time traffic information on the WSDOT mobile app or online using the WSDOT travel map feature.
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