The new Port of Everett Marina bulkhead.
On Thursday, July 9th, the Port of Everett and project partners celebrated the Port of Everett Marina Bulkhead Replacement Project, a $6.75 million infrastructure upgrade that supports and stabilizes a key section of State Route 529/West Marine View Drive (WMVD), a critical commuter, freight, and military corridor.
Port staff, project partners, and community members gathered before Everett Music Initiative’s popular Music at the Marina concert series – hosted on Thursday nights right next to the new wharf – to celebrate the project. The event featured a ribbon cutting and brief remarks from Port of Everett staff, legislative officials, and project partners.
The project replaced a section of Central Marina bulkhead near Port Gardner Wharf between the Grand Avenue Bridge and the Port’s Restaurant Row; fishing vessels also use the area to load nets and other equipment.
“We are grateful to our project and funding partners who have supported the Port in its efforts to transform the Marina over the last 20 years, and we look forward to welcoming thousands of boaters and visitors to enjoy the Snohomish County’s destination waterfront.”
The project reconstructed approximately 165 lineal feet of aging timber bulkhead with steel sheet piles and ground improvements to provide a stronger and more stable support for WMVD. The section of overwater wharf directly adjacent was also rebuilt, along with new landscaping, and ADA-accessibility and pedestrian safety features.
The marina bulkhead acts as a retaining wall, stabilizing the soil under SR 529/WMVD, and helps to prevent shoreline erosion. This marina bulkhead section was the last of 2,900 total lineal feet of Marina bulkhead to be replaced as part of an effort that began in 2005 in the Central Marina.
“Thanks in part to $3 million in federal dollars, this bulkhead created local jobs and will now serve thousands of commuters and pedestrians who use it every day. The last bulkhead lasted for over 80 years, and the new Segment E bulkhead will serve the Everett community for the next 100 years. I am glad that I was able to help get this project across the finish line and will keep fighting for federal dollars that support local projects like this one.”
The Port of Everett Commission awarded the $6.75 million contract to Oregon-based Bergerson Construction in May 2025, and work began in September. The project was funded by Port revenues, the Federal Highway Administration, and through the Washington State capital budget.
The highway section adjacent to the project is used by thousands of commuters each day and provides critical access to Naval Station Everett and the Port of Everett Seaport as a multimodal freight corridor.
The roadway saw 11,361 annual average daily trips in 2023, according to Washington State Department of Transportation traffic data. The previous wooden bulkhead was nearly 80 years old and was at the end of its lifespan. The new bulkhead is made of steel sheet piles, similar to the bulkhead spanning Guest Dock 3 to M Dock in the Central Marina and will have a longer lifespan.
As part of the bulkhead replacement project and wharf rebuild, the Port also completed the required environmental mitigation tied to the project by removing an abandoned 60-foot by 60-foot derelict barge from the mudflats near the north end of WMVD in February 2025. The barge removal was partially supported by a grant from the state Department of Natural Resources.
July 11, 2026
Everett Government, Everett Economy