The new Mukilteo ferry terminal opened just over a year ago on December 29th, 2020. Yet work on the terminal is not totally completed.
During the next few weeks, solar panels are being installed on the terminal building’s roof. Together with enhanced rain catchment and stormwater treatment features, the project’s commitment to being ‘light on the earth’ will reach the finish line.
The Mukilteo ferry terminal features earned a Gold certification from Leadership in Energy and Environment (LEED). LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building types, LEED provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership.
The Mukilteo-Clinton ferry run is the second busiest in the ferry system. More than 4 million people used this ferry route in 2019.
The current ferry terminal was put into service in 1952, reconstructed next to the original terminal in place since ferry service began in 1911 with cars joining the ferry run in 1919. That ferry dock was updated in the 1980s, but remained quite small. The time had come for the replacement, put into service at the end of 2020.
Mukilteo residents and businesses have been pleased with the new terminal. The new site is about a third of a mile further to east from the previous terminal, and opened up more room for waiting area parking with 700-foot long holding lanes and modern fare booths. On busy days, the previous usual backed up traffic on lower SR 525 through downtown Mukilteo and up the hill has eased, even during the busy summer months.
The new ferry terminal building is in the form of a Coast Salish longhouse, filled with Coast Salish cultural motifs and carvings from Tulalip Tribe artists. The LEED certification is an impressive globally recognized achievement.
