Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal and Bay Trail updates – Oct. 1, 2020

The Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal construction and a section of the Bay Trail are completed.   The trail is open, but the opening of the ferry terminal is delayed due to the impact of COVID-19 on ridership.  Details below.

Ferry terminal temporarily unopened 

The Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal was completed in August, but the opening is on hold until ferry ridership to San Francisco is back up post Covid.  Details and a sign-up option for email updates are on a special webpage called Seaplane Shift.   When service begins at the Seaplane Lagoon terminal, ferry service will continue at the Main Street Ferry Terminal, but the routes and schedules will change.

Fun facts about the new terminal:

• The passenger ramps on the dock are power operated.
• The battery backup power for the ferry terminal will provide approximately 48 hours of emergency power to all of the electronic and electrical equipment including the canopy, float and gangway lighting, the security cameras and the clipper card system. The movable ramps will theoretically operate indefinitely since they also have two solar powers to keep their separate batteries charged up.  If the outage lasts longer, an emergency generator can be plugged into a special connection in the parking lot.
• The parking lot lights are on a motion detector. When there is no activity, the lights dim and then go off in order to not create unnecessary light in the night sky.
• There are 36 electric vehicle “clean air” parking spots. Wiring is in place in case the City decides to install chargers at these 36 spaces.
• There are 17 parking spots reserved only for public shoreline access, not ferry riders.
• There will be two single headed electric vehicle chargers for the ADA spots and four double headed electric vehicle chargers in the near future.
• The parking lot drains to the vegetation area called a bioretention basin where the water is pre-filtered before entering the storm drain system.
• The parking lot, street and Bay Trail are temporary. When a developer buys the waterfront land between the ferry terminal and the Site A development area, Ferry Point Road and the trail will be moved east a few hundred feet.  A new parking facility will also be built nearby.  One tipoff that the parking lot is temporary is the new overhead electrical line.  When the street is moved, the utilities will go underground.

Click on photos to enlarge

Temporary Bay Trail now open

The fence blocking Ferry Point Road near the Seaplane Lagoon terminal has been opened enough to allow bike riders and walkers to pass through.  It is now possible to ride or walk from the Encinal Boat Ramp and Breakwater Beach past the ships and ferry terminal and continue past the Air Museum all the way to West Tower Avenue.  There is also the option of turning east at the partially completed waterfront park that is part of the Site A development and heading down West Atlantic Avenue.

Riders and walkers may notice the curbing along the trail was never replaced, and an old rusty pipe still runs alongside the trail.  That is because someday this waterfront will be sold and developed as commercial property.  At that time, the trail and street will be moved on the other side of the sheet metal building.