Engineering
Capital Projects Underway
For additional information about the projects below, please reach out to publicworks@portofpt.com.
Sims Gateway & North Boatyard Expansion Project
Background and Project Description
In the summer of 2021, safety concerns related to electrical arcing from nearby high-voltage transmission lines to the aging poplars along Sims Way prompted a coalition of local governments to develop a plan to permanently separate the transmission lines from the trees, while accommodating boatyard expansion to the north in the process. This collaborative effort by the Port of Port Townsend, the City of Port Townsend, and Jefferson County PUD will include:
- removing the poplars on the south side of Sims Way adjacent to the Boat Haven Boatyard (PUD),
- moving the 115KV high-voltage transmission lines into underground conduits (PUD),
- building a new paved, ADA compliant sidewalk connecting the intersection of Haines Place and Sims Way to the existing sidewalk in front of the former Chamber of Commerce building (City),
- landscaping and planting new trees along the south side of Sims Way (City), and
- expanding the boatyard to the north by approximately 1 acre (Port).
In addition to resolving the danger of electrical arcing to the Lombardy poplar trees, boatyard expansion will also address the risk of electrocution to boatyard workers hauling and blocking boats with metal masts by removing overhead power lines in the yard. The additional space will provide an economic benefit to the community, too, supporting up to 10 additional family-wage marine trade jobs. The new hard surface sidewalk will also provide improved connectivity for pedestrians in the Port Townsend Flats District.
Timeline
2021-2024
- (2021) Local government coalition formed to address electrical arcing issues (PoPT, CoPT, PUD)
- (2021) Public Infrastructure Fund (PIF) grant awarded to project by Jefferson County
- (2022) Stakeholder group formed
- (2022) Plan approved by local governments in September
- (2023) Updates to the City’s Comprehensive Plan and amendment to the Gateway Development Plan
- (2023) Additional PIF funds awarded to project by Jefferson County
- (2024) Stakeholder group reconvened
- (2024) Detailed design begun for undergrounding of transmission lines, landscape architecture, and boatyard expansion
2025
- (Winter) Permit application submitted and public notice posted on site and in paper (February)
- (Spring) Tree removal and undergrounding of transmission lines
- (Summer) Boatyard expansion construction begins
- (Fall) Landscaping
- (November) Construction completed
FAQs
Q: When will the poplar trees be removed?
A: Once the permitting process is completed, estimated to be early spring 2025.
Q: How can I make a public comment about this project?
A: Please visit the City of Port Townsend’s SEPA comment portal for this project linked here.
Q: Where can I review permit application materials for this project?
A: Permit application materials are available during the SEPA review period at the link here.
Q: I have specific questions about the design, timeline, or scope of this project that are not answered here. How can I get these answered?
A: Please email the Port’s engineering staff at publicworks@portofpt.com. You should expect a response in 1-2 business days.
More Information
Please visit Engage PT for more information about this project, its history, and records of meetings and public engagement since 2021.
Additional material to review:
Boat Haven Boatyard Stormwater Improvement
Background
Boat Haven Boatyard is Washington State’s largest open and publicly accessible yard. The Port operates Boat Haven under the Boatyard General Stormwater Permit (BGP) administered by the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) under the Federal Clean Water Act (2021). Maintaining compliance with the conditions of the BGP is a necessary prerequistite to preserving the more than 400 jobs directly dependent upon Boat Haven, and 1,154 jobs county-wide. Failure to meet these requirements can result in fines of $10,000 per day.
Boat Haven’s stormwater infrastructure was originally constructed in 1996 as a conveyance system only, not treatment. However, as DOE regulatory requirements have increased (e.g., decreased allowable discharge limits for copper, new testing requirements for pH, turbidity, and oil) in more recent years, the system has been incrementally modified to incorporate treatment components. Today, substantial system improvements are urgently needed to ensure effective treatment and that the Port achieves regulatory compliance with the BGP to safeguard the jobs that depend upon this critical infrastructure.
This project will construct a centralized and automated CESF (chemically enhanced sand filtration) stormwater treatment system to serve the approximately 30-acre boatyard with additional treatment capacity to accommodate planned expansion of the boatyard to the southwest. These improvements will address anticipated future reductions in acceptable discharge limits by DOE.
Timeline
- (2021) Port awarded $2M by Washington State Department of Commerce through the American Rescue Plan Act, State & Local Fiscal Recovery program.
- (2022) Port retained consulting firm Kennedy Jenks for design and engineering of improved stormwater treatment system.
- (2024) Port awarded $3.05M by Washington State Department of Commerce through the Model Toxins Control Act (MTCA) program.
- (2024) Project design completed.
- (2024) Seton Construction, Inc. awarded construction contract (November)
- (2025) Construction scheduled to begin (February).
- (2025) Projected: Construction completed (August).
Boat Haven Main Breakwater Project
Background
The eastern 600 feet of the main breakwater at Boat Haven was originally constructed in 1935. This portion of the breakwater suffered considerable damage during a storm on December 20, 2018, in addition to similar damage that occurred in 2016. The majority of federal permits were issued in 2022, and in early 2024, the Port secured an $800,000 grant from the Maritimate Administration (MARAD) of the USDOT through their Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). Repair construction is planned for the second half of 2025.
Sea Level Rise Project
Background
The Sea Level Rise Project aims to provide protection for Boat Haven and the low-lying “Flats District” (from the bluff west of Boat Haven northeastward to the Port Townsend-Coupeville Ferry) from coastal flooding due to king-tides and severe weather events. The project is to follow the City of Port Townsend’s Shoreline Master Program and will aim to incorporate pedestrian access referred to as the “waterwalk” along the entire project’s coastal frontage. In 2024, the Port retained KPFF Consulting Engineers to complete 10% preliminary design plans with the expectation of submitting a grant application for the Building Resilience in Communities (BRIC) program through FEMA in hopes of securing funding for design and construction.
