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Expect long lines for ferry and holiday travel rush this weekend
One business created a scathing sign aimed at the Washington State Ferries, particularly, the long lines that back up in the town of Kingston.
KINGSTON, Wash. - Driving off the ferry on NE State Highway 104, if you turn to your right, you’ll notice a sign outside the Kingston Financial Center that reads "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A RELIABLE 2-BOAT KINGSTON FERRY."
Emily Froula works at the Kingston Financial Center, and said one of her colleagues came up with the creative jab.
"We definitely have times where we don’t even have a second boat pretty regularly," said Froula. "So that backs up traffic all through town and is quite a mess."
Froula tells FOX 13, that within the last couple of days, Washington State Ferries had made improvements on the route. She says the smaller boat traveling to and from Edmonds that only carried roughly sixty cars was subbed out for a substantially larger vessel. This boat can accommodate just over 140 vehicles.
About 500,000 people are expected aboard Washington State Ferries through the end of the year. Froula and others on the peninsula predict Saturday will feel more like traveling on a summer weekend.
"You’re looking at generally, at least a two-hour wait up to three hours a lot of the time on holidays," said Froula.
One family decided to leave their car in Edmonds and walk on to the ferry to avoid the long waits.
Washington State Ferries is expecting to get two hybrid electric ferries in its fleet by 2028 as part of a decades-long effort to convert the ferry fleet to be emission-free, hybrid-electric.