The Port of Los Angeles is one of the busiest ports in the world, and soon the nearby LA Waterfront will become an attraction of its own for locals and visitors alike. As part of the Port of Los Angeles’ $36 million Town Square & Promenade project to revitalize the LA Waterfront, Bellingham Marine supplied one of the most prominent features linking the water to the land. Bellingham designed and manufactured a durable, state-of-the-art 600-foot floating dock and acted as a consultant on-site during installation of the dock. The project broke ground in January 2020, and Phase One was recently completed in October 2021.
Previously inaccessible to recreational boaters, this new dock will provide access to bring visitors to the waterfront. Built between the Los Angeles Maritime Museum to the North and the cruise terminal to the South, Bellingham Marine’s 15-foot wide, 600-foot long floating dock will provide ample space for visiting boaters to experience the revitalized waterfront, and access the West Harbor development, once it’s completed and opens in 2023.
The 600-foot floating dock consists of three 200-foot match-cast float sections, which are designed for heavy wave environments, such as the busy LA channel where cargo and cruise ships frequently pass through. The match-cast structure, which eliminates gaps between floats, is post-tensioned, allowing each 200-foot dock section to act as one solid unit, providing added stability and durability. The heavy-duty construction of the dock provides structure and capability to moor a variety of vessels. In addition to the recreational cleats included on the dock, the large steel mooring bollards incorporated in the structure of the dock allow moorage of large vessels.
The newly built waterfront promenade is currently closed to the public leading up to the next phase of construction, which will begin in 2022. The next phase will include the West Harbor commercial development, slated to include restaurants, breweries, art galleries, shopping, and plenty of outdoor seating. Eventually, the promenade will provide waterfront access between the transient dock, cruise terminal, Town Square, and of course the West Harbor once construction is complete in 2023.
