PORT TOWNSEND — Permitting will begin soon on a project to replace the two Point Hudson breakwaters, a project expected to cost up to $5 million.
Port of Port Townsend commissioners Wednesday unanimously authorized staff to begin the permit process, setting the stage for a project slated for completion in early 2017.
The two breakwaters, built in the Depression era, protect the Point Hudson Marina from high water and will be demolished and replaced.
While the 81-year-old breakwaters have deteriorated in recent years, they are in no danger of imminent collapse, Deputy Port Director Jim Pivarnik said.
The timing, he said, is a pre-emptive measure.
“We had an engineer’s report in June which reported it isn’t going to fail anytime soon, but we are getting started now because it will take more than a year to get the permitting done,” Pivarnik said.
The marina is protected by the two breakwaters, one 200 feet long and another 325 feet long, with a walkway.
The breakwaters were built in 1934 of creosote logs, steel cables and rock. They have been repaired twice, in 1969 and 1997, Pivarnik said.
The new design will be of corrugated metal, which is considered more durable and environmentally friendly, port officials said.
The plan is to construct one wall outside of the current breakwater and then move the rocks into Port Townsend Bay before building the second wall, Pivarnik said.
The process ensures that the marina will never be left unprotected.
A walkway is planned for one of the breakwaters but probably won’t be constructed right away, Pivarnik said.
Project plans are complete and will be submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers in the hope of receiving permits by June 2016.
Construction is expected to take about six months.
In-water construction is allowed only between July 15 and Feb. 15, Pivarnik said, adding that the annual Wooden Boat Festival in September adds another complication.
To accommodate the festival, port officials hope to begin in July 2016, quit during the festival, then resume work.
Pivarnik said delays could occur that would force the port to construct the two breakwaters in successive years.
The financing of the project, expected to be between $4.5 million and $5 million, isn’t completely nailed down, Pivarnik said.
The port has applied for a federal Boating Infrastructure Grant from the Recreation and Conservation Department that can bring in as much as $1 million, while the remainder will be financed through bonds, he said.
The port will not go to voters with a proposal for funding the project, he said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
