Bayfront Park’s south shore, where 16th Street meets the Bay, will become the site of a new San Francisco Bay Ferry terminal. The location was selected by San Francisco Bay Ferry’s Board of Directors as part of 2050 Service Vision, a policy document the Board adopted in May. The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), which manages SF Bay Ferry, is now developing a business plan to achieve the Vision.
The Mission Bay terminal will serve as a last-stop service point, connecting to the San Francisco Ferry Terminal at Pier 9. Riders will be able to board the ferry at other places, like Berkeley, travel to the SF Ferry Terminal, and disembark at Mission Bay.
This year SF Bay Ferry ridership is expected to reach 82 percent of levels seen before onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2024/2025 will mark the commuter service’s first fiscal year without federal COVID-19 funds. SF Bay Ferry plans to invest $82 million in capital projects going forward, relying on monies from Regional Measure 2 and 3 bridge tolls – with higher amounts generated through increases in tolls – State Transit Assistance, fare revenue, and Contra Costa sales tax funds.
“Typically, about 200 people ride a ferry at any given time. The capacity maxes out at 225 people. We know this because of our regulations and testing out temporary service at Pier 48½ for Warriors games,” said Thomas Hall, WETA public information and marketing manager.
SF Bay Ferry is gauging demand for ferry service to sports events through a pilot program oriented to San Francisco Giants fans. Roundtrip service will begin at the Port of Redwood City and end at Oracle Park on several Sundays this summer.
Bayfront Park terminal users will likely include Golden State Warriors employees, staff and students at the University of California, San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus, and workers at Visa’s Mission Rock headquarters.
“We’ve been in communication with these organizations. They have written us letters of support for this terminal site,” said Hall.
Because Mission Bay previously served as a shipyard SF Bay Ferry needs to remediate and clean-up the Bayfront site through dredging before building can begin. The construction timeline hasn’t yet been settled as WETA and the Port of San Francisco review project designs.
“The funding [for the remediation and clean-up will] come from the Port of San Francisco. The preparatory work for this site, the construction of this terminal, and the construction of other terminals will require more money. Since the ferry will become an all-electric service, it’ll be an attractive project for the State of California and the federal government to fund,” said Hall.
Construction of the Mission Bay and other terminals has received almost unanimous support from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The stations will be built to accommodate 2050 and 2100 sea level rise.
“We already work to handle sea level rise Downtown by raising the promenade where the floats are tied up substantially higher than the Embarcadero. We also make sure the angles allow for tie-up to coincide with high and low tides,” said Hall.
In 2020, plans to break ground for the Mission Bay site were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SF Bay Ferry’s 2050 Service Vision includes construction of new terminals on Treasure Island, as well as in Berkeley and Redwood City.
Thomas Hunter II