Shelter Island Boat Launch Repairs Complete, Whole Facility is Open to Boaters

The Port of San Diego has reopened the west side of the Shelter Island Boat Launch Ramp after completing repairs to the west side floating dock.

The repair project began in January and included pumping about 200 cubic yards of sand out from underneath the damaged floating dock and placing it onto the adjacent beach, installing neoprene sleeves and stainless-steel wedge anchors along the seawall to prevent future sand migration, removing the damaged floating dock, and installing the new floating dock.

Background
In June 2023, the west floating dock sustained significant damage due to sand accumulation underneath it, which caused the dock to bottom out at low tide. For public safety, the Port closed the dock, with the east side floating dock remaining open and accessible to boaters.

The Port’s engineering department and consultants immediately launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause and extent of the damage and to begin developing a repair and restoration plan. The investigation determined that gaps in the western wall of the facility, designed to allow for some wave attenuation, had widened more than anticipated, and filter fabric installed during construction to prevent some anticipated sand migration had deteriorated. These issues were likely exacerbated by frequent and often strong winter storms and were unforeseen in the design development process for the facility and during construction. To prevent future excess sand migration into the launch basin, staff and consultants worked diligently to develop solutions to cover the wall gaps and to replace the damaged floating dock. 

This was a complex project due to a variety of factors including the challenges of in-water work, required permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the custom-made nature of the floating dock, which was specially designed to serve the large size and high-use of the facility, but also to withstand and function efficiently in the local marine environment.

Port staff and consultants completed their investigation into the cause of the damage and started the engineering design process in the fall of 2023. In parallel, Port staff also began seeking necessary work permits through the Coastal and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the latter of which allows for sand removal. CEQA permit approvals were obtained in late 2023, and the Port received the USACE permit in the spring of 2024. As a condition of the USACE permits, sand removal was done in a way to minimize disturbance of eelgrass that is prevalent in the launch basin, which means no sand removal equipment was allowed within the basin.

With engineering design costs and contingency built in, the total cost of repairs and dock replacement was nearly $717,000. At its October 2024 meeting, the Board of Port Commissioners approved a construction contract with Harbour Constructors Co. to complete the work. Additionally, the Port directly negotiated with Bellingham Marine to build a new, custom-designed dock to replace the damaged dock.