Water shuttle
A free 149-passenger water shuttle will cross Hood Canal between temporary docks at South Point in Jefferson County and Lofall in Kitsap County. The water shuttle service will run from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Find out how the shuttle service will help drivers by reading the new May-June 2009 Closure Water Shuttle Service Fact Sheet (PDF, 284 KB)...
Docks and park and ride lots
Two temporary 1,500-vehicle park and ride lots will be designed and operated on each side of the Hood Canal (Shine Pit on the west side and Port Gamble on the east side).
South Point-Shine Pit
The South Point water shuttle dock will be limited to transit only. An express service will operate between a park and ride at Shine Pit and the South Point water shuttle dock. Vanpool and carpool vehicles and bicyclists will utilize the Shine Pit park and ride lot and will not be allowed to park or drop off passengers at South Point.
Lofall-Port Gamble
The Lofall water shuttle dock will be limited to transit only. An express service will operate between a park and ride at Port Gamble and the water shuttle dock at Lofall. Vanpool and carpool vehicles and bicyclists will utilize the Port Gamble park and ride lot and will not be allowed to park or drop off passengers at Lofall.
Transit service for the Kitsap Peninsula
Kitsap Transit
Three express bus routes will service the Kitsap Peninsula from the Port Gamble park and ride: one express route will go directly to the Kingston Ferry Terminal; another will travel to the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal with a stop in Poulsbo. This will occur only when there are ferries to meet at those ferry terminals.
A third bus route will go directly to Silverdale to the Kitsap Transit Transfer Center. From the Kitsap Transit center connections, regular routes and fees will apply on buses to Bremerton and locations in between.
Additional Route Information:
- The Silverdale express service is proposed to meet each ferry during regular service hours only (9:30 a.m. to about 7 p.m.).
- No direct express service will be provided to the Bremerton WSF Ferry Terminal, it is expected that connection to the Bremerton terminal could be made through regular bus service.
- There would be no service to Kingston or Bainbridge on the weekends. During peak periods, an additional bus on stand-by is being evaluated for use in case the scheduled buses cannot accommodate all the passengers bound for a particular destination. For more information about current routes, visit http://www.kitsaptransit.org/.
Transit service for the Olympic Peninsula
Clallam Transit
Clallam Transit plans to provide daily express transit service from Port Angeles/Sequim area to the South Point water shuttle dock for the six-week closure period in May-June 2009. Daily express service is expected to run during the peak hours of the day. Three express runs would be made during morning peak period with buses timed to coincide with the South Point water shuttle departure times. Three express service runs in the afternoon would also operate during the evening peak periods. Clallam Transit will continue to provide existing transit service. Clallam Transit also currently has three daily connections with Jefferson Transit that could be utilized during the off peak periods. For more information about current routes, visit www.clallamtransit.com.
Jefferson Transit
Jefferson Transit plans to provide direct service between the South Point water shuttle dock and the Port Townsend/Port Hadlock/Port Ludlow area. Currently, Jefferson Transit's route No. 7 operates four weekday roundtrips between Port Townsend and Poulsbo, and two Saturday/Sunday roundtrips. This service represents the only existing public transit linkage across the Hood Canal Bridge. The route will operate directly to the South Point water shuttle terminal. For more information about current routes, visit www.jeffersontransit.com.
Additional Route Information:
- Jefferson Transit will operate a bus shuttle service between Shine Pit park and ride facility and the South Point water shuttle dock. The general configuration calls for the arrival of two transit coaches at the water shuttle dock per sailing. Buses will be timed to accommodate an arriving water shuttle, allowing two transit vehicles to meet each boat.
- In order to meet the needs of those individuals requiring Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, a specific vehicle will be assigned to operate during the peak service hours to handle wheelchairs and other special needs. This vehicle would have a minimum of two wheelchair locations and would operate on an on-call basis between the park and ride lot and the water shuttle dock. During non-peak service hours, the normal transit vehicles will still meet the needs of individuals requiring ADA accessibility.
How long will the water shuttle and buses take?
WSDOT will be implementing a park and ride, bus, water shuttle route on both sides of the Hood Canal during the six-week closure in May-June 2009. Once the 15-minute water shuttle service connects riders to either side, they will be transported to park and rides via bus. There they can catch a bus, carpool or drive their vehicles to their final destinations.
Kitsap Peninsula
- Lofall water shuttle dock to Port Gamble is about 10 minutes
- Port Gamble Park and Ride to Kingston Ferry is about 25 minutes
- Port Gamble Park and Ride to Bainbridge Island Ferry is about 35 minutes
- Port Gamble Park and Ride to Silverdale Transit Center is about 25 minutes
Olympic Peninsula
- Port Angeles to Shine Pit Park and Ride is about 80 minutes
- Port Townsend to South Point water shuttle dock is 40-60 minutes, depending on start in Port Townsend