As the Governor prepares to sign a 2014 Supplemental Transportation budget that funds a third much-needed Olympic-class ferry, Washington ferry riders received another bit of good news this week: The first new 144-car vessel in the series is off the assembly line.
After several field tests to ensure everything is in place, the new vessel – the Tokitae – will go into service on the Mukilteo-Clinton route. It will replace the Cathlamet, which is being moved to the Vashon Island route so WSDOT can retire the 60-year-old Evergreen State.
More than 2 million people travel the Mukilteo-Clinton route each year. The Tokitae will hold 20 more cars than its predecessor, which will help improve the delays that many commuters experience daily traveling the route.
The Tokitae was built under a contract between the State and Vigor Industrial, with the second ferry expected in 2015. Each of the three vessels creates more than 500 jobs in Washington state.