Boat Haven Marina in Port Townsend is getting some upgrades, and it starts with the breakwater. Construction began in early November, but the navigational channel remains open.

Following the breakwall replacement at Port of Port Townsend’s Point Hudson Marina over the last few winters, the Port’s other marina, Boat Haven, is having its breakwater updated to modern standards. As noted in the Port’s strategic plan, Boat Haven “is home to 475 commercial and recreational vessels and each year provides more than 6,000 overnight guest moorage accommodations for visiting vessels.” The services and amenities will continue to be available through construction. This infrastructure upgrade is a precursor to several dock replacements at Boat Haven—a project that’s still a few years out.

Here’s how our friends at Port of Port Townsend summed it up in a recent post:

What are we doing? Removal of timber and driftwood debris, placement of quarry spall (bedding stone) and rip rap over a layer of new geotextiles on 570 feet of the Port-owned easternmost section of the breakwater adjacent to the harbor entrance.  Work will be occurring on both the bayward and harbor side of the breakwater. The project will include night work; however, the navigation channel, with the exception of temporary obstructions, will be open to marine traffic during this project.

Why are we doing this? Portions of this section of breakwater suffered considerable damage during a storm on December 20, 2018, which requires repair.

Who is doing the work? We’ve awarded a contract to Seton Construction.

When is this happening? Seton has begun to mobilize already and will be onsite next week. This work is anticipated to continue through the end of this year (2026).

How are we paying for it? With an $800,000 grant from the Maritime Administration (USDOT) and $1M of funding through the Department of Commerce (WA) CERB grant program.

Feature photo courtesy of Port of Port Townsend.

Learn more at portofpt.com