Renovations for Westport Marina in Washington

The Port of Grays Harbor operates four deep-water terminals, the Bowerman airport, Westport Marina, and several other facilities throughout Grays Harbor County. Just 30 minutes outside Aberdeen, The Port’s Westport Marina is a critical access point for many recreational and commercial fishing vessels on the Washington coast. Over the next 5 to 12 years, they plan to conduct a multi-phase project that will replace certain existing docks and rehabilitate others.

Over 100 years in operation, Westport Marina is a major hub of activity in the seafood industry. Many of the existing concrete floating docks are over 50 years old and at the end of their service life. Today, the available commercial fleet slips are undersized and too few, while many of the recreational fleet slips are oversized. The modernization plan calls for a new mix of slip sizes to satisfy current market demands. “After a decade of foundational investments and improvements at the marina, we are poised to address the most important piece of all, the floating dock infrastructure,” said Molly Bold, general manager of Westport Marina. “These lasting infrastructure improvements will benefit our commercial, recreation, and charter fishermen for generations to come.”

For the better part of 2022, consultant Moffatt & Nichol worked alongside the Port of Grays Harbor to develop what they’re calling the Westport Marina Modernization Plan. “It is a critical planning document for the future of the Westport Marina,” said Tom Quigg, commissioner of Port Grays Harbor. “We thank Moffatt & Nichol, our Port staff, and all of the marina stakeholders who have participated in this effort. We have a clear path forward to rebuild and rehabilitate the Westport Marina.”

Allocation of funds has been a long process and was made possible in part thanks to a grant from Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB). According to the modernization report, the cost of the removal and replacement efforts for the marina is about $33 million, while rehabilitation aspects of the project come in at over $13 million.