Mukilteo moves to lighten ferry traffic

Transportation officials view transportation alternatives

By Pat Ratliff

The Beacon

Washington state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond and a group of state transportation officials took a tour of the Mukilteo waterfront last week, as well as a section of road that Mukilteo officials believe would go a long way toward solving a number of problems involving ferry traffic and the Mukilteo Speedway.

In a van provided by Mukilteo Seniors, Hammond and crew rode the length of Seaway Boulevard. 

At the end of the road, Hammond, new Washington State Ferries Director David Moseley, Director of Terminal Engineering John White and NW Regional Director Lorena Ang, along with Mayor Joe Marine and Councilmember Richard Emory stopped to view the short distance down to the Mukilteo waterfront.

Mayor Marine explained to Hammond that with a short extension of the road down to the waterfront, a number of ferry traffic woes could be alleviated.

Seaview is already a four-lane road running adjacent to and just east of the Boeing plant, after branching off the SR 526 Freeway.

It winds up to the top of the hill before abruptly ending. When standing at the end of the road, it’s evident that a short extension could deliver ferry traffic down to the east end of the tank farm property.

This extension could take care of a number of traffic and safety problems that currently exist along the Mukilteo Speedway (SR 525).

Summer and holiday traffic on the Speedway cause traffic jams up the hill, sometimes past 84th Street SW, making local access a nightmare.

Then there’s Olympic View Middle School, sitting right next to the highway, with almost no protection for children crossing the Speedway. Ferry traffic regularly endangers pedestrians and bicyclists traveling along the road as well.

An expensive traffic signal, recently funded, will help slow the traffic down, but the fact remains there is more traffic on SR 525 at times than it can handle. (Transportation officials haven’t yet decided which intersection will get the traffic signal.)

There is also no room for overflow ferry traffic waiting to board the ferry. This is what causes the major traffic back-ups on the Speedway during peak usage times.

This past summer and on busy weekends, the State Patrol began routing ferry traffic through the Olympic View parking lot to help alleviate the Speedway tie-ups.

A new connection to the waterfront from Seaview Boulevard would funnel most of the traffic away from the Speedway, solving most of the safety problems near the school, allowing better local access to driveways and cross streets, and providing more and better queuing space for ferry traffic while waiting in line.

While riding north on the Speedway, Hammond noted how difficult and expensive it would be to widen or improve the Speedway from Olympic View north.

“What’s great about the Seaview route is that ferry traffic wouldn’t be affecting Boeing traffic,” Marine said. “It would run in the opposite direction of the Boeing traffic.”

“This looks like an interesting project to me,” Hammond said. “I’d like to see a feasability study done.”

She noted though, it all comes down to “the money.”