In Fauntleroy, the Construction Arrives Years Before the Ferry Dock Payoff

Ferries arrive at Fauntleroy Way SW near SW Barton at a T intersection with no signal. When a boat unloads, cars coming up the dock wait for a gap in traffic unless an officer is directing it. When the offloading line backs up onto the dock, the next sailing can run late. Southbound, the street's shoulder serves as the waiting line for the boat.

Every public agency working around that corner has a plan to fix part of this. Each plan runs on its own schedule, and the projects don't finish in the order a buyer might expect. The new dock, the piece that takes the most pressure off Fauntleroy Way, is the last to finish. The road closures, lane restrictions and turn rules come first. For anyone weighing a home near the dock approach or along Fauntleroy Creek, the next several years will look different from the finished neighborhood the agencies are designing.

The first change is a turn you will no longer be allowed to make

Washington State Ferries is building a traffic signal at the dock entrance before it touches the dock itself. In July 2026, WSF awarded a contract of about $1.06 million to Gary Merlino Construction for the signals, lighting, signs and paving. Work had been aimed at September. In an update reported by West Seattle Blog, WSF said it would start later this fall, once it finishes a traffic control plan with the contractor and the City of Seattle. The agency expects the signal to be working around mid-2027.

According to the Fauntleroy Community Association's September update, here is how the finished signal is meant to work:

• When no ferry is unloading, Fauntleroy Way stays green and cars coming off the dock get a flashing red.
• When a boat unloads, the signal detects the traffic, turns the dock green and holds Fauntleroy Way until the vehicles clear.
• Two permanent turn rules come with it. There will be no left turn from the dock's right exit lane onto northbound Fauntleroy Way, which is already prohibited but often ignored. There will also be no left turn from northbound Fauntleroy Way into the dock.

While the signal is being built, ferry service continues as usual. WSF has said drivers should expect lane restrictions, possible detours for large vehicles and some delays leaving the dock through the work zone.

The turn rules matter for a home search because traffic that can't turn has to go somewhere else. At a project advisory group briefing covered by West Seattle Blog in October 2025, participants raised concerns that drivers would U-turn or detour onto nearby residential streets. The same concern came up about the narrow 45th and 46th Avenue blocks in WSB's report on the Fauntleroy Community Association's April 2026 meeting. The design can still change. WSF's external relations director, Hadley Rodero, told that meeting that the agency will tune the signal over a year or more, with input from Metro, SDOT and neighbors. Her words: "That's sort of the beauty of it being a signal. It can be changed."

Then a residential street closes for up to two years

The signal changes how cars move around the dock. Seattle Public Utilities' creek work closes a street outright.

The 45th Ave SW culvert carries Fauntleroy Creek under the road near SW Wildwood Pl. Early work is moving overhead utilities underground for the buildings closest to the culvert, and SPU's project page has that phase finishing in early November. The same contractor is due to start the main culvert replacement around summer 2027. Once that starts, SPU lists these impacts:

• 45th Ave SW closed between SW Wildwood Pl and SW Director Pl for up to two years, with pedestrian detours whenever walking through isn't safe
• Changes to the intersection of SW Director St and California Ave SW
• Temporary parking restrictions along 45th Ave SW for the length of the project
• Work hours generally from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and legal holidays
• Noise, vibration, dust, construction lighting, and trees affected along the ravine

SPU's schedule shows construction running through 2028. The finished street will look much like it does now. Paving, sidewalks and street trees will be restored to similar conditions, and the total number of parking spaces stays the same, though some may move and there will be fewer accessible spots. On the west side of 45th, a small overlook called the 45th Landing is planned. SPU made it smaller, moved it closer to the street and added screening after nearby neighbors raised privacy and safety concerns about the original design.

SPU's own project map places the work among familiar landmarks, including Wildwood Market and Eatery, The Hall at Fauntleroy, Fauntleroy Church, Fauntlee Woods and Alpine Chalet. A second culvert, under California Ave SW next to Fauntleroy Church, is in design. SPU says construction there could start as early as 2028, and it has already decided an emergency repair is needed to stabilize the culvert until it can be replaced.

SDOT's planned crossing at Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Rose St adds another work zone. The plan includes a raised median and flashing beacons. In May 2026, SDOT said it hoped to start construction by the end of the year. At its March 2026 meeting, the community association's board called the overlapping signal, crossing, culvert and undergrounding work "dueling construction projects." At the April meeting, the Southwest Precinct's community liaison reported that requests for traffic support had been filed.

The dock itself comes last

The project aimed at moving more of the ferry line off the street is the replacement of the terminal's trestle and transfer span. In February 2026, WSDOT's final planning study recommended a dock that holds 124 to 155 vehicles, compared with about 80 today. The two design options it builds on are 226 and 240 feet longer than the current dock. A longer, narrower structure puts the slip in deeper water and is designed to avoid impacts to Cove Park. The toll booths will move about 50 feet farther offshore, which leaves room to sort vehicles by destination before loading.

WSDOT expects the larger dock to shorten queuing and idling on Fauntleroy Way. The Fauntleroy Community Association supports replacing and seismically upgrading the terminal. It opposes expanding it beyond the current footprint, citing concerns about vehicle growth, traffic and the cost of the added holding space.

The timing is where this project and the others come apart. The February 2026 study has construction starting in 2028 and the new terminal opening around 2031. The WSDOT project page lists design and construction running from 2028 to 2033, and the project is still in its pre-construction phase. At the April meeting, WSF project manager Charlie Torres said work would likely begin no earlier than 2029, after environmental review and more design.

Once it starts, the work in the water is seasonal. WSDOT's planning assumes in-water work between August 1 and February 15, done in phases so essential ferry service keeps running. WSF has said it expects two in-water work seasons. Asked in April whether the dock would ever close completely, WSF called it "highly unlikely" and said any closure would be very short and mitigated, according to West Seattle Blog. WSF has also discussed taking over the white house near the dock to use as a construction administration office.

How the projects stack up, year by year

What the sequence means for a purchase made now

A buyer who closes in Fauntleroy over the next year is buying into the early part of this calendar. Someone who buys in 2032 will mostly see the finished version.

The early years land on a few specific places. Homes on the blocks of 45th Ave SW between SW Wildwood Pl and SW Director Pl, and those that use that stretch to get around, face a long closure starting around summer 2027. Homes near the dock intersection and the side streets around it are where any rerouting from the new turn rules would show up first, and where the signal timing will keep changing after it goes live. Homes near Fauntleroy Church and the California Ave SW crossing have a second culvert project on SPU's list.

Most of what the agencies are working toward helps these same blocks. That includes a controlled intersection, a restored creek crossing with an overlook, and a dock that holds roughly twice as many cars off the street. For a household planning to stay ten years, the disruption and the payoff both happen within the time they own the home. For someone who expects to sell in the next two or three years, the listing period could fall during a road closure or the first months of a new traffic pattern. A seller in that position should plan photography, showing routes and timing around the closure.

Quick answers

Will the Vashon and Southworth ferries keep running during the work? WSF has said ferry service continues during signal construction. Its terminal plan is built in phases to keep essential service running, and it called a full dock closure "highly unlikely."

Where can I follow detours for the 45th Ave SW closure? SPU says it will share detours before main construction begins and offers project email updates.

Is the size of the new dock final? No. WSDOT's study recommends a range of 124 to 155 vehicles, with the exact footprint to be refined during environmental review.

If you're looking at a home near the Fauntleroy dock or along the creek and want to know how this construction calendar could affect a particular address, Scott and Molly at Monroe Kemper can walk the blocks with you, review the project maps and plan a purchase or sale around the timing. Book a Consultation.