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This isn’t A to B. This is the best
kind of in-between. This is the pause
button on your daily commute, or
the play button on your weekend
escape. This is Washington State
Ferries, and this is somewhere.
Plan your next adventure online
at wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.
Up Close on our Waterfront: Connecting People
and Places on Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is the marine component of our state highways,
connecting the urban areas on the east side of Puget Sound and the
growing communities on the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas. For the
communities of Vashon Island and the San Juans, the ferry is the
only
vehicle link to the mainland.
More than 22.5 million people each year travel aboard the system’s 22 ferries. The fleet ranges in
size from the 34-car/200-passenge Hiyu to the 202-car/2,500-passenger Jumbo Mark II Class; and,
in experience, from the 1954-era Evergreen State to the 2012-era Kennewick. The state is in the
process of building two ferries, the Olympic Class, at Vigor Industrial on Seattle’s Harbor Island, and
received funding this legislative session for construction of third. These new ferries will replace the
oldest vessels in the fleet. Each Olympic Class ferry construction generates up to 500 family-wage
jobs with shipyards and subcontractors around the region. These jobs encompass a wide range of
trades including welding, fitting, carpentry, electrical and painting. Many ships have been built and
repaired on Harbor Island since the early 1900s, and Washington State Ferries is proud to play a role
in supporting the rich maritime history of the region. For more information visit
wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
.
Have you ever ridden a ferry?What do
you remember about the experience?
What type of work
might you enjoy
doing on a ferry?
