•	WSF Long-Range Plan

• Long-Range Strategic Plan Process

• South Sound Service Area

• Central Sound Service Area

• Anacortes/San Juan Island Service Area

WSF Long-Range Plan

Planning Now for 2011-2030
Your Ferry Future…Washington State Ferries is Updating Its Long-Range Strategic Plan Learn more at an upcoming public Ferry Advisory Committee meetings:

• June 7, 6-8 p.m. (South Sound) - Sedgwick Junior High School, 8995 SE Sedgwick Rd, Port Orchard -- Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here.
• June 9, 6:30-9 p.m. (North Sound) – Race Road Fire Station, 1164 Race Road, Coupeville -- Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here
• June 14, 6-8 p.m. (Central Sound) – Bainbridge Commons, Bjune Avenue, Bainbridge Island -- Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here
• June 16, 9-10:30 a.m. (Anacortes) – Flounder Bay, 2201 Skyline Way, Anacortes -- Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here
• June 16, 2:30-5:00 p.m. (Friday Harbor) – Mullis Community Center, 589 Nash St.,-- Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here
• June 27, 7-8:30 p.m. (Bremerton) - Kitsap Conference Center, 100 Washington Avenue -- Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here
• June 28, 12-1:00 p.m. (Seattle) - 1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500 --  Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here
• June 29, 6:30-8:00 p.m. (Vashon Island) - McMurrary Middle School Multi-Purpose Room -- Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here
• June 30, 6-7 p.m. (Fauntleroy) - Hall at Fauntleroy (Old Fauntleroy Elementary School), 9131 Fauntleroy Way SW --- Did you miss this meeting? Get the meeting materials here

Why is WSF updating its Long-Range Strategic Plan?
As is true of the entire transportation system, WSF faces financial challenges and growing service demands. WSF’s terminals and vessels are aging, requiring continued maintenance and replacement. Some routes are already operating near or above capacity. The planning process is a tool for assessing options so that WSF can make informed, strategic choices that best serve its customers.

Washington State Ferries'  last plan was completed in 1999 – much has changed since, including the Legislature’s implementation of the I-695 funding cuts, which significantly reduced funding for the WSF system. Additionally, the ferries are already full on many sailings and more growth is coming. The system has aging vessels and terminals which need upgrading just to keep pace with current demand. In light of these hurtles, WSF must determine how to best serve the public given all of the system’s needs and limited financial resources.

What is WSF’s Long Range Strategic Plan?
The Long-Range Strategic Plan (Plan) will guide WSF services and investments through 2030. In developing the plan, WSF looks at each service area and evaluates a variety of service scenarios, along with the implications and tradeoffs for each scenario. As challenges and choices are identified for each service area, they can be viewed utilizing the navigation bar at the left of this page. Using that information, along with input from ferry passengers, WSF will evaluate the impact of each scenario on the system as a whole.

The final Plan becomes the basis for WSF’s future capital investments and service planning, and is the WSF component of the Washington State Transportation Plan.

WSF Service Areas
 
What system wide chokepoints and bottlenecks constrain WSF’s capacity and efficiency?

• Fauntleroy Terminal: Operates at capacity now and is not able to accommodate projected growth in demand from Vashon/Southworth. Expanding the terminal is not an option, according to the City of Seattle.
• Colman Dock in downtown Seattle is a hub for the system. WSF is studying options for a new facility on the site to improve operating efficiencies and accommodate increasing demand.
• Central Sound Passenger Service: High growth in passenger demand is expected on Central Sound routes.
• Weekends/Summer Season: Continuing growth in the recreational travel market on weekends and during the summer on Edmonds-Kingston, Whidbey Island and Anacortes-San Juan Islands routes presents capacity challenges in those corridors.
• Constraints in the San Juan Islands include one-slip terminals and the limited ability of adjacent road systems to handle ferry traffic.

What are service scenarios?
Given projections of future population growth and demand for ferry service around Puget Sound, various scenarios for providing that service will be analyzed. Each scenario will be evaluated for its potential service implications; impacts on capital needs and operating costs; and how it integrates with landside facilities and highways.

In other words, in addition to public input, the recommendations in the Long-Range Plan will be based on the following factors:

• Service needs of customers
• Changing regional demographics
• Capital and operating requirements
• The WSF’s financial constraints
• Input from local communities, regional planning organizations, transit systems, and local governments.

When will the Plan take effect, and what will it do?
When the Plan is completed in December 2005, it will guide future WSF decisions on services and investments between 2011 and 2030.

• Services: it will have a route-specific program including route structures, frequencies and carrying capacities.
• Investments: it serves as a 25-year strategic investment plan for vessel and terminal improvements.

How is the Plan developed?
During the development of the Plan, WSF will have discussions with passengers and other stakeholders regarding potential service scenarios in their area.

The following steps will be taken to develop the Long-Range Strategic Plan:

1. Conduct studies to gain a complete understanding of the current situation, including ridership, demand, capacity of vessels and terminals, and costs and funding of various scenarios.
2. Work with local jurisdictions and planning organizations to share information and receive input.
3. Identify service scenarios and analyze each scenario for its potential service implications; impacts on capital needs and operating costs; and how it integrates with landside facilities and highways.
4. Incorporate input from ferry users, local communities, and other interested parties.
5. Identify and recommend a service and investment plan for the system.

What are the guiding principles of the Plan?
The Plan must be realistic and cost-constrained.
Financial constraints will place a firm boundary on the service scenarios that will be considered and limit exploration of options to those that may realistically be implemented. The resulting Plan must be pragmatic and actionable.
The Plan must address system-wide implications.
Service alternatives for individual routes or service corridors will be evaluated based on their impact to the entire ferry system.
The Plan must take into account public and customer perspectives.
Public and customer input is a critical element in shaping the Plan. Washington State Ferries will be seeking public and customer input through briefings and public meetings, and a public comment period. In addition, four user surveys will inform the Plan, including WSF’s 1999 Travel Survey, the 2003 South Sound AM Travel Survey, the Vashon Maury Island Community Council’s Vashon Island Transportation Needs Survey and Vashon Business/Ferry Survey.

How will the Plan be used?
The Long-Range Strategic Plan serves as the umbrella strategy for WSF. The Plan will be informed by the projects and planning currently underway at WSF. These projects include:

• 10-Year Passenger Service Strategy, requested by the State Legislature in 2004 to develop a vision and strategy for multimodal passenger transport across Puget Sound.
• The Tariff Policy Committee’s ongoing analysis and recommendations to the State Transportation Commission on tariffs.
• In addition to these policy planning efforts, WSF is actively implementing enhancements to existing service on a number of fronts. The Plan will overlay these initiatives as well, including:
• The Electronic Fare System (EFS) implementation program, which will make fare collection automated and be compatible with the regional smart card.
• Terminal Projects, consisting of ongoing efforts to preserve and improve the ferry terminals.
• New Vessel construction project, construction of new vessels to replace older vessels.

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