“Sammamish” is one of three leading names the Washington State Transportation Commission is considering for its fourth, $122 million Olympic-class ferry.
The commission is seeking public input on the eligible names at its next meeting Jan. 12 and 13, in Olympia. The commission will make its final selection in March 2016.
The Washington State Department of Transportation has been building new, 144-car ferries to replace four of its oldest vessels. The total project has a $515.5 million budget.
Two of the new ferries are currently in service. The third will be complete in 2017; the fourth is set to be completed in 2018.
Of the 24 vessels in the fleet, nine are between 40 and 60 years old, approaching the end of their service lives, according to the commission.
Per the commission’s guidelines, a vessel’s name should carry statewide significance and represent the state’s image and culture.
“Many of the 24 vessels in Washington State Ferries’ fleet have names reflecting the state’s tribal, geographic and historic heritage,” a Washington State Transportation Commission statement read. “The most recently named vessels – Chimacum, Samish and Tokitae – are in keeping with that tradition.”
As an indigenous group from the Pacific Northwest, the Sammamish people had lived in the Sammamish River Valley until most of them were relocated in 1855, when the United States government signed the Treaty of Point Elliott with the supposed Puget Sound tribe leaders. Descendants of the Sammamish tribe who stuck around dispersed into others, like the Snoqualmie Tribe.
Other names for the fourth vessel under consideration include “Cowlitz” and “Suquamish.”
In late January, the commission will release two online surveys where people can vote on the three names.
To learn more about the names, visit www.wstc.wa.gov/Naming/FerryRoadBridge/FerryNaming2016.htm.
To submit comments, email transc@wstc.wa.gov.
For more information on the other names, visit www.wstc.wa.gov/Naming/FerryRoadBridge/FerryNaming2016.htm.
