Port Alder Waterfront Seawall*

The timber bulkhead protecting the downtown waterfront had lost up to 40 percent of its section, and a 2019 storm surge had already flooded the street twice. The replacement was funded with a mix of FEMA hazard mitigation, state grant and city bond money, each with separate reporting rules.

In-water work was limited to a 6-month window, with additional restrictions for noise during a herring spawning period, and the waterfront restaurants and ferry terminal had to remain open.

Under the CM/AR contract, we phased the wall into six segments and built a bubble curtain around every pile-driving operation to keep underwater noise below the permit threshold. A barge-mounted rig drove piles on the tide while landside crews installed tie-back anchors and the concrete cap behind.

The funding agencies each received a monthly reporting package assembled by our compliance coordinator. We gave local businesses a standing weekly meeting and kept pedestrian access to every storefront throughout the project.

The seawall was completed 52 days ahead of schedule and $3.1 million under the budget, and it withstood its first king-tide surge the following winter with no overtopping. The city's promenade, lighting and landscaping opened to the public in June 2024.

The project recorded 0 lost-time incidents over 347,000 hours, and local-hire participation reached 34 percent of total hours.