Whittier to hire design firm for new DeLong Dock, with construction years away

Whittier will hire a design firm to help decide what a new DeLong Dock should look like, Harbormaster Dave Borg told the city's Port and Harbor Advisory Commission on Tuesday. Construction is probably two or three years away, he said.

"It'll take us probably 18 months just to get the permits," Borg said.

The city has about $55 million in federal grants for the project, Borg said: about $4.1 million for design and $50.6 million for construction, which the city won in October through the federal Port Infrastructure Development Program. The city's budget puts the cost of replacing the 70-year-old dock at $57 million, with about $1 million from dock reserves as the local match.

Borg said the designs the city drew up in 2022 and 2023, when it first applied, need rethinking. He pointed to interest from liquefied natural gas projects and from the military, which has asked about roll-on, roll-off access, while still needing to serve fishing users.

He questioned one earlier concept that put floating docks along the outer side of the 560-foot dock. Those floats would take up moorage space and have to be pulled out in winter, he said.

The commission and the City Council will see the designs at 30%, 65%, 75% and 100% completion, Borg said. "I want to be very detailed and methodical on how we move forward."