When it comes to ferries, although most of the attention has been focused on the enormous green-and-white vessels operated by the state, there is an emerging interest in another way to get across the water that just might be faster.

Proposed legislation, coupled with studies and local efforts on Whidbey Island, could result in a more environmentally friendly way to travel.

Last week, State Rep. Greg Nance, who represents the 23rd Legislative District that includes northern Kitsap County and Bainbridge Island, brought forth a new bill for passenger-only ferries. Aptly titled the Mosquito Fleet Act, House Bill 1923 is a callback to Washington’s maritime heritage.

“Once more, we can design a transportation system that’s better for the environment, better for the economy, better for local jobs,” Nance said in an interview the previous week.

The bill, which was introduced Feb. 10 and is slated for a public hearing of the House Transportation Committee this week, establishes a grant program with funding to acquire and operate passenger-only ferries beginning July 1, 2025.

Nance said this is the fastest and cheapest way to get boats on the water, addressing the ongoing ferry crisis as it continues into its sixth year. While the price tag for a new Jumbo Mark-II-class ferry is estimated somewhere around $300 million, a passenger-only boat could cost between $5 to $10 million, he said. The bill’s initial funding request is $50 million.

In Nance’s Kitsap County, Kitsap Transit Fast Ferries swiftly transport passengers across Puget Sound. The passenger-only boats range in capacity, from 118 to 349 people.

Currently, it’s difficult for transit agencies outside of King and Kitsap counties to launch passenger-only ferry service, but Nance is hopeful that his new piece of legislation could help change that.

State Rep. Clyde Shavers, who represents Whidbey Island, is a co-sponsor of the bill. He said it aligns well with other ferry-related legislation he has backed, including a bill addressing the maritime workforce.

Washington State Ferries is currently conducting a study, the result of a state legislative proviso that directed the agency to examine what role the state may play in passenger-only ferry service. This could range from State Ferries fully operating service, to providing funding for other entities to do so instead, to having no role. Currently, State Ferries is statutorily precluded from operating passenger-only ferry service, and the decision to return to operating it belongs to the legislature.

The study must focus on routes recommended by the Puget Sound Regional Council in a 2021 study, which ranked a route between Clinton and Everett 7th out of 45 possible routes. State Ferries’ final report is due to the governor and transportation committees of the legislature by June 1, 2025.

A State Ferries spokesperson said the next step for the agency is to create ridership profiles for those selected routes that will include information like estimated demand, possible landing sites, vessel types and sizes, possible schedules and estimated operating costs.

For the past few years, Port of South Whidbey officials have been striving to rebuild a passenger-only ferry dock in Clinton. The original dock, Commissioner Curt Gordon explained, fell into disrepair and was removed around 2020.

The cost of the new dock, according to the engineers’ estimate, is approximately $4.6 million. Of that total, the port has successfully secured a $2.7 million grant for construction administered through the state Department of Transportation. The remaining $1.9 million is currently tied up in a congressionally directed funding request sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray.

The project’s design is 90% complete and permitting is pending. Preliminary engineering is expected to be complete in December 2025.

The Port of South Whidbey has been collaborating with the Port of Everett and the Hat Island Community Association, which provides passenger-only ferry service between Hat Island and Everett. In the past few years, a route connecting Langley with Hat Island and Everett has also been discussed.

If rebuilt, the passenger-only ferry dock will be adjacent to the state ferry system’s terminal in Clinton. Passengers will be able to access the dock from Clinton Beach Park; a narrow walkway runs parallel with the loading lanes.

Gordon said he has been in conversation with representatives from State Ferries to ensure that when the Clinton terminal is electrified, there’s potential for charging capacity to serve an electric passenger-only boat.

The intention is for the port to build the infrastructure, and then some other entity would provide the vessel and the passenger-only ferry service.

“It’s like a dock of dreams, a field of dreams,” Gordon said. “I don’t want it to seem like a pie in the sky, but I want folks to know this is coming.”