Ferry shuffle: Mukilteo, Edmonds riders can expect ‘loading delays’

Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, May 28, 2024

MUKILTEO — Prepare for ferry Jenga.

The 144-car Suquamish boat went out of service for maintenance on Tuesday, causing a ferry shuffle. The result is decreased vehicle capacity on the Edmonds-Kingston and Mukilteo-Clinton routes for about four weeks.

The Suquamish, which has been serving Edmonds, was replaced by Mukilteo’s 124-car Kitsap, a 20-car reduction. The Edmonds-Kingston route’s other vessel, the 186-car Spokane, will ferry riders as usual.

The Mukilteo-Clinton route, in turn, got the 90-car Sealth to replace the Kitsap, a 34-car reduction. The Tokitae, the other vessel on the two-boat route, holds about 144 cars.

Travelers “may experience vessel loading delays,” according to Washington State Ferries.

On Tuesday in the mid-afternoon, before the commuter rush, the wait departing on both Clinton and Mukilteo sides was one hour.

The Memorial Day weekend featured the usual and expected extended waits.