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Aqua Express: Easing Traffic Congestion Around the Sound |
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Written On: March/April 2004 |
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Written By: By Scott Carlson |
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Four Puget Sound businesses are teaming up to help bring relief to commuters traveling from north Kitsap County to Seattle. They will do this by offering a non-subsidized, passenger-only ferry service called the Aqua Express.
However, the Aqua Express, comprised of Seattle’s Argosy Cruises and Clipper Navigation, Poulsbo’s Four Seasons Marine Services and Whidbey Island’s Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, has yet to set sail.
According to Clipper Navigation Executive Vice President Darrell Bryan, the four companies have waited patiently on the sidelines with regard to cross-sound service. They wanted to first support the Washington State Ferry (WSF) system.
After the passage of Initiative 695 in 1999, and the failure of Referendum 51 two years ago, Bryan and his associates realized there would be little or no support from the WSF. I-695 repealed the existing 2.2 percent Motor Vehicle Excise Tax.
These measures carved huge holes in the monetary support going to the WSF, thus forcing it to cancel passenger-only service across the sound.
During the 2003 legislative session, House Bill 1853 was passed into law.
“This [bill] gave Kitsap County an exclusive right to operate passenger ferries from the county until March of 2005,” said Argosy Cruises owner John Blackman. “But they can waive that exclusivity.”
Kitsap County recently tried and failed to persuade voters to pass an increased sales tax to subsidize a passenger ferry. “This is when it was decided to move forward with Aqua Express,” said Blackman, the managing partner.
“We’ve got an open arena out there,” Blackman said. “With the amount of congestion in the region, we think that the ‘marine highway’ can offer some relief to commuters, and frankly, offer it in a very timely way.
“We think the north end – Poulsbo, Kingston, Port Madison, the whole area – would welcome a 35-minute ride to Seattle, as opposed to taking your car across to Edmonds and driving down I-5, which is probably an hour-and-a-half, or to Winslow, which is a much longer commute,” Blackman said.
Aqua Express has been working with Kitsap County to find an arrangement that would be satisfactory to both parties.
“I think both parties are going into this on the basis of ‘let’s make this work’,” Blackman said. “Both parties have a desire to arrive at a mutual agreement and begin service before March of ‘05.”
“The Aqua Express would not provide the service currently offered by the WSF,” said Bryan.
“We’d be an enhanced service,” he said. “We’re taking care of the commuter – period. The public will see an improvement in their commute services immediately.”
The group still has much work ahead of them, but is looking to offer north Kitsap County residents relief from their long daily commutes. Most importantly, taxes will not be raised to pay for that relief.
“Only those using it will pay for it,” Bryan said.
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