Mukilteo to review plans for terminal
Published 10:32 pm Sunday, June 8, 2008
MUKILTEO — The ongoing plans for a new ferry terminal in Mukilteo are to be reviewed today at a City Council work session.
Washington State Ferries officials are planning to discuss the status of the Mukilteo project, which was recently scaled down to cut millions of dollars in the project’s cost. They also plan to discuss how the Mukilteo terminal might be affected by the state’s analysis of ferry system efficiency, said John White, director of terminal engineering for the ferry system.
“We’re hitting the home stretch on some of that,” White said.
The work session is 6 p.m. at City Hall, 4480 Chennault Beach Road.
The plans for a new Mukilteo ferry terminal have not changed since March, when White last spoke to the City Council, he said.
Before that, the plans changed significantly.
The city’s preferred plan for a ferry terminal included features such as over-the-water parking and a commuter parking garage. However, the project’s estimated price tag skyrocketed from $167 million to more than $300 million because of rising construction costs and the archeological discovery that there may have been American Indian activities on the beach.
To keep project costs down, the state drew up two new plans, each with construction costs at about $110 million. The state has already spent about $30 million on environmental studies and preliminary work.
The new drawings show the terminal being built slightly east or west of its previously planned location.
Construction was scheduled to begin this year, but work has been postponed indefinitely.
To relieve traffic congestion from cars lined up at the ferry terminal, state and city officials are still pursuing a plan to expand the ferry terminal’s holding lanes. They are negotiating with the owner of The Buzz Beach Bar &Grill to lease his property, raze the restaurant and use the site to expand the vehicle holding area.
The negotiations are moving along, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine said.
“We’ve been working on the permitting and all of that,” he said.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
