Can’t turn off Winslow Way to get to ferries anymore

For those who cut in the Bainbridge Island ferry line: your days are numbered.

There will be no more right turns toward the ferry terminal from Winslow Way.

The state Department of Transportation announced that starting June 4, several major updates to traffic flow will restructure the intersection of Winslow Way and Highway 305 in an effort to reduce congestion.

The biggest changes will come to the short strip of 305 between Winslow Way and the terminal entrance. The far right lane of the highway will be dedicated exclusively to ferry traffic from north of Winslow Way to the ticket booth.

“The community and ferry travelers have asked for these changes for some time. Recent upgrades to our traffic light technology are allowing us to complete the work now,” WSDOT transportation engineer Keith Kirkendall says in a statement.

Other updates to traffic flow are intended to accommodate those changes. Because the right lane will be ferry traffic only, all right turns on a red traffic signal from Highway 305 onto both Winslow and Harborview will be prohibited. Any drivers who plan to turn right will be restricted to the left lane. Vehicles headed to the self-parking lots and those using transit services or non-motorized forms of transportation, like walk-on passengers and cyclists, may proceed as usual.

The agency plans to restripe the highway, add new traffic signs and update traffic signal displays starting at 9 a.m. June 4 until about 3 p.m. Work will most likely impact traffic flow, so WSDOT officials recommend that commuters leave early or depart late.