EVERETT— U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA02) joined Port of Everett and City of Everett leaders on Thursday, July 9, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked completion of the final phase of bulkhead replacement at the marina and rebuilding of the Segment E wharf near Port Gardner Landing and the Grand Avenue Park Bridge.
“You can’t have a big league economy with little league infrastructure,” Larsen said. “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 project replaced about 165 lineal feet of aging wooden bulkhead with steel sheet piles to stabilize West Marine View Drive (State Route 529). The overwater wharf directly above the bulkhead was demolished and rebuilt with new decking and landscaping. The improvements created an ADA-compliant connection to the port’s waterfront trail system and added elements to separate pedestrians from the roadway.
The bulkhead serves as a retaining wall that stabilizes soil under the highway and helps prevent shoreline erosion. SR 529 functions as a critical commuter, freight and military corridor that provides access to Naval Station Everett and the Port of Everett Seaport. The roadway carried an annual average of 11,361 daily trips in 2023.
The $6.75 million contract was awarded in May 2025 to Oregon-based Bergerson Construction, the sole bidder. Work began in early September 2025 and finished this year. Construction timing avoided peak summer event seasons at the Port such as Music at the Marina. The project was funded through port revenues, the federal Highway Administration and the Washington state capital budget. The port secured additional federal funding to help cover costs that exceeded initial estimates, in part due to tariff uncertainty. As part of the work, crews removed an abandoned 60-by-60-foot derelict barge from the area in February 2025.
Segment E completed replacement of the final portion of 2,900 total lineal feet of marina bulkhead. The overall effort to replace the bulkhead began just over 20 years ago in 2005 in the Central Marina. Earlier sections used similar steel sheet piles.
The Segment E site sits in a popular area for walkers and lies adjacent to Port Gardner Landing, where Music at the Marina concerts take place on Thursday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m. during the summer. The free events feature live music, a beer garden and food trucks.
The Port of Everett operates an international seaport, the largest public marina on the West Coast and real estate development projects on more than 3,000 acres, with more than half dedicated to public access. The marina has 2,300 slips and the Port of Everett ranks as the third-largest container port in Washington state. Its activities support more than 40,000 jobs in Snohomish County and surrounding areas and contributes $433 million annually in state and local taxes.
Author: Mario Lotmore
