MUKILTEO – They never wanted a ferry terminal in the first place.

So if residents here must have a new terminal, they want it to have as little impact on their city as possible.

Still, many who packed a Tuesday public hearing on a proposed $152 million ferry terminal liked much of what they saw.

Public feedback provided at the hearing will be used to help shape how the final ferry terminal will look. Construction is to start in 2008 and finish in 2010.

Recent changes in the plan call for parking two boatloads of cars on a pier, something residents said they would like because it would help open up their waterfront. Most Old Town shoreline has been closed off to the community for decades.

“In an ideal situation, I’d like to see the ferry dock somewhere else,” said Milt Lebsack of Mukilteo. “But the chances of that happening are slim to none.”

Recognizing the inevitable, Lebsack and others called on the state to improve the roads leading up to the ferry terminal. Lebsack suggested the state build an alternative route to the ferry dock, perhaps by cutting through nearby Japanese Gulch. If not that, then further improve Mukilteo Speedway.

Others suggested that ferries be routed to Edmonds and Everett, locations where Whidbey Island commuters actually want to go. Ferry officials have ruled that out, saying it would cost too much to expand the Edmonds terminal or build a new one in Everett.

The new terminal “is certainly an improvement over what we have now,” said David Braathen, a Clinton resident who used to live in Mukilteo.

“I’m disappointed that they haven’t done anything on traffic,” Braathen said, pointing to a display that shows ferry traffic is expected to double in 20 years.

“We are doing traffic studies,” said Russ East, director of terminal engineering for Washington State Ferries, adding that the state will focus on traffic backups at the terminal.

He also pointed to a recent project to widen much of Mukilteo Speedway from two to four lanes, which Braathen and others acknowledged has greatly improved traffic flow in the city.

Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.

Ferry meeting

A second public meeting on the Mukilteo ferry terminal plan is 6-8 tonight at Clinton Progressive Hall, 6411 Central Ave., in Clinton.

For more information, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/ projects/mukilteoterminal.

Ferry meeting

A second public meeting on the Mukilteo ferry terminal plan is 6-8 tonight at Clinton Progressive Hall, 6411 Central Ave., in Clinton.

For more information, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/ projects/mukilteoterminal.

Mukilteo ferry terminal meeting

Want to weigh in on Washington State Ferries’ proposal for the new Mukilteo Ferry Terminal?

Two public meetings will be held this week. The first is 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Mukilteo Water District Administration building, 7824 Mukilteo Speedway in Mukilteo. The second is 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Clinton Progressive Hall, 6411 Central Ave., in Clinton.

For more information visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/mukilteoterminal.